Ultimate Schedule
by Avenger 22
Summary: When Principal Coulson announces that there will be extracurricular sign-ups, M.J. drags Peter to them against his will. For the rest, read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter One, Extracurriculars

Peter sighed tiredly as he put his hand on his chin. His pencil moved across the paper mechanically. Once Peter was done with his assignment, he put his pencil down. He sat there quietly, listening to the sounds of the other pencils on paper. Occasionally, a kid would whisper a question to him but other than that, it was practically silent. The clock on the wall ticked louder than usual. Peter's boredom grew by the minute.

Peter sighed again and one of his best friends, Mary Jane, turned to him. Her long orange hair was in her face. She removed it," You know Peter, not everybody finishes as fast as you do. I know you hate waiting, but you're going to have to." She flashed him a grin, and then her head bent down to look at her paper once more.

At that point, in time, Principal Coulson's voice appeared over the PA system. Peter was thankful for the break from the quiet atmosphere. It gave him something else to think about. Something else to do besides allow the silence to overwhelm him.

_Attention students, I would like to announce that we are holding extracurricular sign-ups today after school in the cafeteria at three thirty._

Peter could hear snickering in the front of the classroom, and rolled his eyes. As always, it was Flash Thompson, trying to make a joke. He tried to ignore them, although he did catch some conversation. He listened carefully.

"Hey, do you think Peter's going to sign-up for any extracurriculars?" asked one of Flash's cronies with a smirk.

Flash laughed as he held his pencil up, probably trying to make sure the teacher figured he was working," No way. Besides, he'll probably just nerd his dorky pants, won't you, Parker?" he asked, as he and all of his buddies turned to Peter.

Peter slightly glanced up from what he had been doing before Principal Coulson came over the PA system once more. Peter was once again grateful for the distraction and chance to leave.

_I also need Ava, Samuel Alexander, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, and Peter Parker to come down to the office. Ava, Samuel Alexander, Luke Cage, and Peter Parker down to the office please._

The snickering grew louder as Peter picked up his paper and put it on the teacher's desk. He grabbed his things and headed to the office as Thompson and his friends howled even louder. He grit his teeth, trying not to say anything that might get him into trouble. It hurt him not to say anything, but he knew if he did, he would get in trouble.

He heard the teacher reprimand Flash and his friends. Peter stuck his tongue out at him, and then raced to the office. On his way there, he saw Harry at his locker. He tapped him lightly at on the shoulder and waved. Harry waved back at him and then slammed his locker closed.

"Parker, what are you looking at? Some drugged up chick that's dying to go to prom with you?" asked a snobby, male voice.

Peter turned around to see Sam, who was smirking. Peter flipped him the bird, which stunned Sam into silence. He pushed his way into the office as he took into account of the others. Finally, Agent Coulson appeared with a manila folder in his hand.

"Glad you all could make it for detention," he said, pulling a button out of his jacket. He pressed it, and a bright blue light consumed the five of them. As soon as they had all disappeared, Coulson put the button back in his jacket and nodded in approval.

While he was back at the school, the kids reappeared in the S.H.I.E.L.D training room. Nick Fury, the director, appeared on a large screen in front of them. His expression was monotone and he nodded towards the team. All of them were in costume, ready for today's training exercise.

So far, Peter hadn't minded the exercises themselves. It was Principal Coulson calling his name down every day for "detention." The after effects, which included teasing from Flash Thompson. Laughing from Flash Thompson. It always upset Peter, but he was never sure of how to handle it other than attempt to look cool when Thompson teased him. He shook his head, trying to concentrate.

"Greetings, newbies," he said even though they had been working for S.H.I.E.L.D for several months now. However, one got used to it after a while," today's training exercise will include much concentration from all of you," his eyes focused mainly on Nova. It took a lot of energy to stop Peter from laughing although he managed," it will require you to all communicate. You must travel through a field of traps, which are all strategically placed. Good luck."

The screen turned off and red lines appeared under them. The red lines connected at various points. Peter grew nervous as the lines made up a maze. Peter shook his head, and focused on the task ahead of him. The five of them seem were separated into different parts of the maze.

Peter noticed that he was in a corner nearest to a wall. Ava was in the left corner and Luke was in the right corner. Danny was diagonal from him, looking as calm as ever. Nova appeared to be standing in the middle, floating a little off the ground.

"So, does anybody know how we're supposed to exit this thing?" asked Peter. Peter tested his foot to the left, and nothing happened.

"Spider-Man, stop! It could be a trap." Peter sighed in frustration. Part of him was ready to do it anyway, when he heard the sound of thunder in the room. His eyes turned to Nova, who had stepped towards Danny. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes probably going wide in his head.

Part of his suit was charred and he sighed in frustration. He sagged and Ava face palmed. Luke sighed and Danny shook his head. Peter was tempted to laugh, and did. As soon as he could stand, he listened to what Ava had to say. It was hard not to hear her voice, with its nagging quality.

"Nova, don't move anymore until we can get this figured out," she called and Nova stood still. The others all turned to Ava, even Peter. They all attempted to listen, but of course they were boys," by the description Fury gave this is supposed to be a maze of some kind. Which means there are traps all over the place."

"That's great," shouted Luke from his end," how do we get out?" he asked as Danny's eyes searched the training room, ready and alert for anything.

Ava shook her head," I'm not sure. I haven't had time to figure it out or test it yet." Peter moved to his left, and waited for something to happen. He closed his eyes and winced. He opened his eyes slightly, and when nothing happened allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief.

He turned to Ava," Hey, I moved and didn't get charred." He said and all turned to face him. Even inside his mask, Peter thought that Nova looked a little jealous.

"Try moving in another direction, man," Luke said as his foot hovered over the space left to where he was standing. Danny, too, looked ready to move," see if it does anything."

Just as Peter was about to do so, he felt his spider sense kick in. He moved to the right, and waited for something to happen. When nothing he, did he gave out a sigh of relief. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as Ava moved to the left, and was shocked. She moved in the opposite direction, and her body tensed. When nothing happened, she jumped in the air.

"Woo hoo!" She said and everyone turned to look at her. She reclaimed her professional attitude and cleared her throat," Anyway, why don't you guys try to move? You don't know if you don't try."

Spidey nodded. Even though Ava was annoying, she also happened to be right. For once, he decided to give her a break," Guys, White Tiger's right. You have to move to try to escape, not wait for it to come to you. But don't move in the same directions."

Luke moved forward, and wasn't electrified. Danny moved diagonally and was slightly electrified. He moved again and suddenly everyone was moving at once. Just as Peter had begun to move again, the red lines disappeared.

All stood still as footsteps approached. Agent Coulson appeared, with his manila folder against his chest. He let out a sigh and shook his head," You all were supposed to work as a team. You didn't exactly beat the simulation. We'll do it until you get it right. Right now, it's lunch time."

Coulson pulled out the button from his jacket and pressed it. This time, everybody was consumed by blue light. Eventually, the entire room was absent of people. It looked as if nobody had even used it, with the exception of the single charred mark.

Back at Midtown High, the teenagers were enjoying lunch with their friends. Gossip was spread from table to table. Food was swapped, along with words of secret. Adults were scattered around the room to monitor the kids. Peter sat with Harry and Mary Jane, alone with his teammates. He had almost forgotten his things back at the Principal's Office, but thankfully, Mary Jane had reminded him.

"So, what did Principal Coulson call you down to the office for?" asked Harry, who was one of the many people who were suspicious. Even though Peter had given him several random excuses, Harry still hadn't believed him.

Mary Jane sighed and rolled her eyes," Harry, why don't you leave him alone about it? If he wants to tell you, he'll tell you." M.J. lightly punched Harry. He rubbed his arm, even though it probably didn't hurt. Mary Jane normally didn't hit very hard.

At that moment in time, Principal Coulson called attention to all of the kids. Peter and his friends turned around in their seats. Peter listened as Principal Coulson talked, keeping his eyes out for Flash. He figured that he would try to pull something on him, and wanted to be prepared. He was still hearing about Flash's other feats from his teammates, something he tried to ignore.

"Attention students," he said, not needing a bullhorn, or a microphone to aid his voice. He was already loud enough, and Peter knew that much. He kept most of his focus on Coulson, while keeping out for Flash," just a reminder for those of you who are planning to sign up for extracurriculars; they're at three thirty after school today in the cafeteria. We have a variety to choose from including the newspaper, science club, and book club. However, if you don't have grades above a C minus, then you will not be able to participate."

"I'm totally signing up for the newspaper," M.J. said as Principal Coulson finished his speech. Everyone resumed their conversations, which seemed louder than before. Mary Jane turned to Peter with a grin on her face," so Peter, what are you going to sign up for?"

Peter shook his head as he tried to focus on M.J.'s question. He knew that he didn't want to sign-up for anything. In addition, he probably wouldn't have time for it. With finals so close, he didn't want to have something to distract him. Especially not an extracurricular. He was already involved in one, and that was enough. Although the science club did sound interesting enough.

He cleared his throat as Harry and M.J. turned to look at him. Their eyes searched him, waiting for an answer. Peter felt their gaze and Sam's too. Peter shot him a look, and then he turned away," Actually, I wasn't planning on signing up for any extracurriculars."

Harry scoffed as he picked up his milk. He practically inhaled it all down, and then burped. M.J. sighed as he wiped his mouth on a napkin," Why not?" he asked. Both stared at him intently.

"Because maybe I don't want to," Peter replied defensively," there's too much studying to do and only four weeks until finals." He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at them.

The two turned to share a concerned look. After a while, they both cracked up laughing. Peter rolled his eyes and continued eating. He didn't have time for this. As he went to leave the table, M.J.'s hand caught his. She dragged him to sit back down and he did so. His ass would hurt afterwards, but he would be ok with that.

"Peter," M.J. said with those big green eyes of hers. They were pleading with him and sometimes he couldn't resist it," four weeks isn't going to kill you. You study day and night. I'm sure a little extracurricular activity can't hurt you. Besides, I'm taking you anyway whether you like it or not."

Peter sighed as he put his hand under his chin. Harry nudged him," Sorry about that man. If it makes you feel better, my dad's probably going to make me sign up for at least two." This indeed, did make Peter feel better. Even though he knew Harry would never sign up for one, it still made him feel slightly better. Although, he still felt a string of dread. He shuddered.

The lunch bell rang after about twenty minutes, which meant that lunch was over. Peter trudged back to class with his friends. The rest of the day went by in a blur, which was horrible for Peter. When three thirty came, Peter felt nauseous. He quickly grabbed his things and headed for the nearest exit, when he felt a tap from behind. He sighed, and turned to face M.J., who was standing behind him.

She rolled her eyes," Peter, I know you don't want to do this, but at least try to act like you want to." Peter nodded and trailed behind her. Thankfully, nobody was in the hallway.

As soon as they got to the cafeteria, Peter took it in as M.J. raced ahead. Before she got too far, she grabbed onto Peter's hand and dragged him along. He felt the tug on his hand, and ignored when she stopped at the newspaper booth.

Peter took in the room, filled with booths and tables. Each table had some type of decorative cloth on it. There were about twenty tables, each with some type of sign up sheet. After a while, M.J. turned to Peter with a grin on her face.

"So, what are you going to sign up for?" she asked and Peter's eyebrows shot up. She sighed," Look Peter, I told your Aunt May that I'd sign you up for at least one activity. She's expecting to hear about it as soon as you get home. She texted me during my free hour."

Peter shuddered again. This time, M.J. had hit the last straw. He didn't even want to sign up for something. Let alone be here. He gave out a tired sigh as his eyes searched the room for something interesting to do. Then, he found the science club table. He immediately raced over towards it, with M.J. barely able to keep up.

He saw at least one person over there, sitting all by themselves. The person was clearly female, with thick looking black glasses. She wore a t-shirt that said, "I love science" and a pair of jeans. She wore her brunette hair down.

"Hello are you here to sign up for science club?" she asked with a smile. M.J. then came up behind him, holding her backpack tight.

"Yes, I am," he hesitated, turning back to look at M.J. She nodded and Peter turned back to the girl. Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered her from one of his Chemistry classes. He couldn't place her identity right now, but he knew he recognized her," My name's Peter Parker."

She nodded and handed him a clipboard with a sign up sheet. She also handed him a pen," Sign your name right on that list. By the way, meetings are usually Mondays through Thursdays after school. They begin at two thirty and end at three o' clock." As she was telling him this, he was signing his name. Behind him, M.J. wrote down the information. It wasn't just because she was trying to remember it. It was because she would nag him if he didn't do it.

He nodded, handing her back her pen and clipboard," Thank you and I'll see you, whenever it begins." He said with a kind smile.

The girl smiled back," It starts next week on Monday. Hope you can come." She said and Peter left the area adjacent to the table.

Mary Jane was just finishing writing down the information when Harry came up to them. M.J.'s eyes looked up for a brief moment along with Peter's. M.J. waved and gave a warm smile.

"So Harry, what extracurriculars did you sign up for?" she asked kindly.

"Well, so far I'm doing," M.J. gave him a look that made him admit the truth. It worked every time, on both of them," absolutely nothing. But, I have gotten a good look around. Pete, I think you'd really like Quiz Bowl and Physics Club." He said and before he could say anything, Peter raced off like a rocket. Harry and M.J. shook their heads and sighed.

"You know your dad's going to kill you, right?" she asked and Harry nodded in defeat.

**Me: So I know this is my first Ultimate Spider-Man story, so please no flames! This is one of my newer projects that happen to keep my inspiration going.**

**I was really having trouble with the plot for this, until I started talking t my dad. He asked me what I had trouble with most during high school, so here's your answer.**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except the plot and my own Oc's so please ask before you use them.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Two, Points

Peter sighed as he trudged himself home. Part of him seemed satisfied that he had signed up for all three of those three extracurriculars. While part of him wanted to strangle himself. However, he didn't have time to act on the latter decision because Aunt May flung open the door. She was beaming, and pulled him into a hug.

When she eventually pulled away, she stepped back into the house. Her beam was still present as he stepped through the door. Her cheeks were flushed," Hello, Peter. How was your day at school? Did you sign up for any extracurriculars?" she asked, making her way towards the kitchen.

Again, part of Peter wanted to strangle himself. Along with Aunt May. However, Aunt May didn't deserve this. She was only looking out for Peter. Not to mention, trying to help. No, Peter couldn't be mad or angry with her. He sighed," It was somewhat long. I signed up for three extracurriculars."

Aunt May nodded and she tossed him a muffin. He grabbed it in midair, which made her smile. He smiled back at her, the feeling genuine. He hadn't told her about his spider powers, or about his working for S.H.I.E.L.D. At least, not yet. He hoped that he never had to.

She placed some dishes in the dishwasher. Whenever Peter saw her do this, he always felt bad. He knew that Aunt May didn't want him doing chores, but he felt bad anyway. Hopefully, she didn't notice his expression. He took a bite of the muffin.

"That's good. What did you sign up for?" she asked as she put in the soap. Even though Aunt May did all the chores, Peter tried to make up for what he had power over. Whenever Aunt May wasn't there, he would try to do the laundry. Or sweep the kitchen, or do something that might help her. Even though she hated it, it made Peter feel better that she didn't have to carry the burden alone.

Peter took another bite of the muffin, taking his time to chew it. He knew Aunt May was giving him "the look," but right now he tried not to notice. Eventually, he couldn't help it and his eyes went up to meet Aunt May. He sighed once again, wiping the crumbs off his mouth before he spoke.

"Well I signed up for Science club, Physics club, and Quiz Bowl," he said and saw Aunt May's smile returned. This made Peter smile on the inside. He loved it when Aunt May smiled, especially considering that her husband had died only a year ago. It made him feel like Uncle Ben wasn't entirely gone," Science club starts next Monday until Thursday. It runs for a half-hour after school starting from two thirty."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her write it down. He shook his head and sighed tiredly. Even though he knew there was no point in complaining, he figured he had every right. He loved Aunt May to death, but sometimes she drove him up the wall. He saw that it was on a notepad, which he hoped that she lost. He didn't really hope that, but sometimes he didn't understand her motives for doing things.

"What about Physics club and Quiz bowl? Those sound interesting." she said, leaning against the counter. Her arms were crossed, which meant that he didn't get a say in this. This, whatever it was, didn't make him happy.

Peter took another bite of his muffin. He figured that she wouldn't rush him. No matter how eager she was to discover what had happened during his day. He licked more crumbs off his fingers, holding his backpack tightly on his back," Physics club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays during lunch," he waited as Aunt May wrote it down. He knew that he probably shouldn't have said anything about either clubs. However, he also knew that Aunt May would get the information out of him. One way or another, which always creped him out," Quiz bowl meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch."

Peter waited for Aunt May to finish writing it down. He finished off his muffin, gobbling it down. Aunt May shook her head as she looked up at him. She watched as he nosily licked the crumbs from his fingers. Even though Aunt May loved to look at Peter gobbling up her meals, she had to keep his manners tiptop.

When he finally stopped, his eyes searched for the clock. It was 3:45pm, and he had tons of homework to do. He held onto his backpack tighter, as he had done as a student. He smiled at Aunt May," Thanks for the muffin Aunt May. I have homework to do," he raced up the stairs and Aunt May followed him. Being Aunt May, she knew that Peter had something on his mind. She had practically raised the boy, and knew that something was on his mind. Once he was at the top of the stairs, he turned to Aunt May," By the way Aunt May, why did you want me to sign up for extracurriculars? M.J. told me that you texted her."

Aunt May shook her head and sighed. She figured that he would be upset at her for doing this. However, that didn't change her stance on it. She knew Peter, and she knew his social life," Because I figured you needed a little more excitement to your life. Especially now that Uncle Ben is gone."

Peter sighed and May knew how he was going to tackle this. Nevertheless, she allowed him to make his point. It was a valid one, but not something that was going to change her mind. She knew that if she didn't allow him to make this statement, he would be more upset with her.

"I know that," Peter replied, sounding defensive. May knew his tactic, but continued to listen anyway. She knew it was only a matter of time before he surrendered to her tactics. Not to mention her cooking," but I still don't think I need any extracurriculars. My life is already as exciting as it can get. Plus, I have finals in four weeks."

May almost died laughing at the last excuse, but caught herself. She nodded and took in what he said. She knew that she didn't need to counter this, but did anyway. She wanted Peter to have a life. A life, outside of studying. She wanted Peter to make more friends. He did already have M.J. and Harry, that was true, but she would've liked it better if he found more people to complete his inner circle.

"I know you do," she said," but I would like you to have a life outside of studying. I know you already have friends, but I would prefer you cast your net wider."

Peter nodded and raced back up the stairs. May sighed tiredly as she called up to the stairs. She figured he was already up in his room. Nevertheless, she still called to him anyway. She had already done her damage and didn't want to upset him further," Lasagna at six."

She sighed again and went towards the kitchen. She was thankful that Peter had left. That way it gave her time to think. She loved Peter with all her heart, but she was also thankful when she had her own time to herself. She quickly got out a glass pan, remembering the recipe by heart.

Upstairs, Peter Parker put his backpack near his bed. He took some notebook paper out of his pockets. He put them on his desk, and took out a random notebook. He took out some more materials before he came deeply absorbed in his homework.

Normally, this happened whenever he was upset with Aunt May. This wasn't often, but when it did happen, he got a lot of work down. He sighed tiredly, and continued working on his homework. He finished in another ten minutes and took out another notebook. He commenced his history homework. As he flipped through the pages, he heard his pocket buzz and vibrate. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. On it appeared Zara Taylor, one of the varsity Quiz bowl players. He opened it up.

"Hello?" he asked as he continued to scrawl on the page. He soon finished, and went on to physics. As time went on, his anger seemed less and less. He remembered Aunt May's warning that dinner was at six. He remained ready if she decided to call it early.

"Hey Peter I was wondering if you'd like to play in the varsity's game Thursday?" she asked politely. Peter tried to think about the varsity team's players," one of our players is sick and won't be able to make it."

Peter thought over this for another moment. His pencil flew across the paper faster than he registered it. Before he knew it, he was finished with physics. His eyes glanced up at the clock in his room, and then back at his bed. He had finished his homework by four thirty-five, which was a world record. He shook his head and tried to focus on Zara's question.

"Uh, sounds good. When is it?" he asked, probably sounding like a complete dork. He felt blank for a bit, and then his brainpower returned to him.

"It goes from three o' clock to three fifteen after school," she answered," Do you have any other questions?" she asked.

Peter thought for a moment. He found another question to ask, and did," Do we have to travel? Do we have a practice before hand?" he asked, remembering what the librarian had told him. He waited for her answer, keeping his eyes on the clock. The time towards dinner seemed to be going faster than usual. He waited for Zara's response.

"No and yes. I don't remember if the librarian told you, but we do get one home match. It'll be held in the school library and we'll have a practice at lunch in the library. Any other questions?" she asked, her voice growing a bit more nagging with each time. He knew she probably didn't mean to, but sometimes that was what made Peter annoyed with girls.

"No actually, there isn't. Thank you Zara and I'll be sure to make it to that match," he said and closed the phone. He hadn't meant to be rude to her. It had just come because he was upset with Aunt May. That, and the way that she had spoken so impatiently to him. He shook his head as he grabbed his cell phone. He dialed a number, and eventually called Mary Jane," Mary Jane?" he said.

"Hey Peter what's up?" she asked, acting as if nothing had ever happened after school. Nevertheless, Peter still felt his anger lessening. He knew that M.J. and Aunt May had only done what they had done for him. How could he be mad at that?

"I just wanted to let you know that I have a match on Thursday," he said and waited for her reaction. He continued," I'm playing on the varsity team because one of their players is sick." He continued waiting, and eventually got it.

"Peter, that's great! I'll try to be there and make Harry comes along as well. By the way, you should totally tell Ava and the others," she responded as cheerful as ever. Peter's anger had diminished since then and now he felt perfectly fine," I'm sure they'd be willing to support you too."

Peter nodded, even though she couldn't see him. He went over to his computer and turned it on. He sat down in his chair, spinning around. He thought about the others, mostly Sam," I'm sure they would."

"Well Peter, I gotta go," she said as he turned on his monitor. He clicked on the big blue "e" and waited. He tapped his fingers on the mouse," dinner's ready and tonight's lasagna."

"Hey me too." He said and the two hung up. His eyes looked up at the clock and he raced downstairs. He put his cell phone in his pocket, leaving his computer. As he raced down the stairs, he noticed that the table was quieter than usual. He slowed down as he hit a corner, and then continued running. He sat down at the table next to Aunt May, making sure to grab as much as he wanted. He also made sure to leave enough for May.

"So, who was talking on the phone?" she asked, her eyes taking in him. The past couple of months, he had grown like a weed. Both knew it, because they made frequent trips to Good Will.

"First it was Zara Taylor," he told her, not taking his eyes off his plate. He picked up a spoonful of lasagna and put it in his mouth. He chewed for awhile and eventually swallowed," she asked me if I would play in the varsity team's match on Thursday after school. I told her I would, and then I told M.J. about it."

Aunt Many nodded, not bothering to hide her excitement. She knew that she hadn't exactly planned it. Peter must've known that as well. Another thing May noticed was that Peter's anger seemed to have disappeared. She shook her head, trying to focus.

"That's terrific Peter," she said and put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes looked up at her," I'm very proud of you."

Peter blushed," Thanks." May ruffled his hair and a smile split across her face. Peter noticed this, and couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I promise I'll try to make it to the match tomorrow," she said," When is it?"

Peter thought for a moment, his fork in midair. He put it down and May waited for the response. She was glad. Glad that Peter wasn't upset with her anymore. Glad that Peter actually had something to do," three o' clock to three fifteen after school in the library."

May nodded and continued eating. The rest of the meal was conversational to say the least. Both were bouncing subjects back and forth constantly. After the meal was over, Peter grabbed a quick slice of chocolate pie and slipped upstairs.

May watched him go, a smile on her face. She couldn't be more proud of Peter. She knew it. She put her plate on top of Peter's and then went to take care of after dinner dishes.

Upstairs, Peter put on his Spider-Man suit. He knew that it was risky, especially with Aunt May around. He also knew that Aunt May didn't check his bedroom during this time, so he was in the clear. The only real time she checked his room was when she was cleaning it, or when she was checking on him as he slept.

As soon as his mask covered his face, he swung out the window. He made sure to close it behind him as he left. Before he had time to go anywhere, he heard something beep. He pressed a button on his right wrist and a small holo screen appeared with Nick Fury's face on it.

"Where the hell are you? Training starts soon and we've been looking for you." He said, probably yelling. Knowing Fury, he most likely was, along with spitting. Spidey remembered the first time that he had been spit on.

"I just finished dinner," he replied and Fury's eyebrows shot up," I'll be there as soon as I can." And with that, the holo screen disappeared. Sometimes, Spidey wished that Fury wouldn't give him so much shit. It really bothered him.

Spidey thought about the extracurriculars as he swung towards the Helicarrier. His thoughts were jumbled. Mostly school and extracurriculars. He tried to work out a schedule of how he was going to pull this off. If he could pull this, off.

**Me: So I know this was a bit of a shorter chapter than last time, but I promise more in the next one. I'm thankful that I'm the first poster on the topic, and if anyone's interested, I have an Ultimate Spidey role-play!**

**I would like to thank the people who reviewed my first chapter. Thanks so much!**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except my own Oc's, so please ask before you use them!**


	3. Chapter 3

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Three, The match

The next day was slightly tiring. Peter was fortunate that his walk to school wasn't very long. For the first time in a long time, he actually had to drink coffee to stay awake. It wasn't his normal way to go, but he had to do something to stay awake. His head buzzed all the way to his locker.

So far, they hadn't come to a consensus about the traps. Coulson had claimed that they were still new to the team-working thing. Ava had said that they weren't trying hard enough. Sam had said that it was because they hadn't made him team captain. That was when Peter called bullshit.

Peter put his backpack in his locker, having already opened it. He saw Harry make his way towards his locker. He continued taking out his materials," Hey Peter, heard you had a Quiz bowl match today after school. M.J. told me all about it last night. I'm totally going."

Peter nodded and yawned. He tried not to watch Harry's reaction out of the corner of his eyes. Sadly, he did. It was shock," Sorry Harry. I just had a late night studying and all. But yeah, I'm totally psyched you're going."

Harry nodded, yawning himself," Thanks, but now you got me yawning. Have you tried anything to wake yourself up yet?" he asked as they made their way towards Peter's first hour. They sat near the back, where Peter liked to sit.

"So do you have practices or anything?" asked Harry as he put his things on the table. Peter's eyes glimpsed at the clock, keeping track of time. Usually, Harry talked until the last second and was always late for class. However, Peter had taken the liberty of watching the clock for him and sending him to class. For the most part, it was M.J's urging that had made Peter attempt to do it anyway.

"I think the varsity player who called me said that practice would be today at lunch," Peter felt instantly bad. He and Harry had been eating lunch together since middle school. He knew that Harry didn't like to eat lunch without him, although at least M.J. would be there," sorry about that, Harry."

Harry shook his head as Peter's eyes glanced back at the clock. Harry had at least ten minutes before first hour started. That meant that if after this comment, Peter kicked him out, he would make it to class with time to spare. Peter hoped so, or else M.J. would be on his case. He turned back to Harry.

"That's alright Peter," he said as he picked his stuff back up," I completely understand." He left the room without another word. Peter was grateful that Harry had left early. He hoped that Harry went to class without stopping to talk to some cute girl. He shook his head and sighed, getting out his notebook.

After a few minutes of page turnings and multiple people entering the room, the school bell rang. The physics teacher entered the room, brief case in hand. The PA system came on with morning announcements from Coulson. Peter and the rest of the class sighed tiredly.

_Good morning and welcome to another great day at Midtown High. Today is May 17th, 2012 Thursday. Just a reminder that all students who signed up for extracurriculars will have their grades checked. For those of you having trouble studying for Finals don't forget to come see me for assistance. You know who you are. Sports news for today involves a football game tonight away at Queens High School. Extracurricular activities for today include a varsity team Quiz bowl match from three o' clock to three fifteen home after school. There will be practice before the match. Good luck out there scholars!_

Everyone gave out a collective sigh as the announcements ended. The physics teacher, a tall woman with blonde hair, began writing on her white board. She began her lecture, and Peter took out his pen. He quickly wrote down the important parts when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He glimpsed up to see Ava Ayala next to him, writing down notes just as he was. Sometimes Peter forgot she was even there. Whether it was because he did it on purpose, he reminded himself to continue this way of thinking.

"So heard that you were playing in the varsity Quiz bowl game, is that right?" she whispered as the teacher continued her lecture. Both knew that if they were caught talking, they would get in trouble. However, this teacher rarely caught anybody doing anything.

Peter nodded as he tried to ignore Ava's look. He didn't know what kind of angle she was getting at, but he would find out. Knowing Ava, he knew that he would," Yes, that's right. What about it?" his pencil scrawled across the page quickly.

Ava shrugged as Peter looked up at her. Normally, Ava's looks didn't bother Peter. However, Peter's looks disturbed Ava. He knew that it did, which was why he used it so often. Ava sighed quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the teacher," I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind if the team came to support you," Peter's eyebrows shot up as they continued writing. Normally, Peter found that teacher's lectured until you couldn't feel your hands," because we're a team, and whatever one does, we should support it."

Peter nodded and leaned closer towards her," Alright." The teacher turned to them in midsentence, her eyes staring them down. Fire seemed to come from them. The entire class stopped and turned to look at the two. If they weren't in the middle of class right now, Ava probably would've smacked him upside the head.

"Would you like to explain to me, Mr. Parker and Miss Ayala what you're talking about?" asked the teacher harshly with her hands on her hips.

Peter being Peter, he decided to cover for both of them. Even though Ava would hate him for doing this later, he knew it would get them out of trouble. He cleared his throat, not using his wheel of excuses," Ava was just asking me a question about the physics notes."

The teacher seemed to think over this a few moments. After a while, she nodded, looking satisfied with his answer. She picked her marker back up and smiled at him," Thank you, Peter." Then, she continued her lecture. Throughout the entire rest of the lecture, Ava made faces at him. However, he didn't care. He had evaded trouble once again and he wasn't wiling to stoop to Ava's level just because she was pissed off at him.

As soon as the bell rang, Peter headed for the door. He was the first to leave, trying to make as much distance between him and Ava as possible. He was grateful that his locker was far away from hers. He would've been driven crazy if, when she had first started here a couple months ago, her locker had been close to his. She was already a teammate of his, and that was how he wanted it to stay.

He quickly got out his needed materials and headed to his next class. Fortunately, he was early but only because of M.J.'s nagging. He got out his homework and put it on his desk. The rest of the day dragged on for what felt like forever. Finally, fourth hour came when Coulson came on over the PA system. Peter had already finished tonight's homework.

_Could I please see Ava Ayala, Daniel Rand, Luke Cage, Sam Alexander, and Peter Parker?_

Peter quickly grabbed his things and put them in his locker. He didn't like putting his things in the principal's office. No matter how safe Coulson said that his stuff was. Plus, he didn't want to give Flash Thompson any ideas. He could mess with Peter's stuff, and Peter would never know. It always made Peter paranoid.

As he reached the principal's office, he noticed that only four of them were present. Coulson leaned against his desk, his arms crossed, and his expression paranoid. His eyes searched the room, as if he expected an assassin to come any minute. Remembering the incident with Taskmaster, Peter wasn't surprised.

"Where's Sam?" he asked with an edge to his voice," does anyone share any classes with him?" all teammates looked around the room at each other.

"Negatory, sir," Luke answered as Ava shook her head. Danny glanced at the door, and then back at Coulson," I can get him here though."

Coulson shook his head," No. I'll find a way to bring him here." Just as he pushed himself off the desk, Sam arrived. The hero tried to avoid Coulson's gaze as he lead them to the secret classroom, not bothering to teleport them the way he had yesterday. Personally, Peter liked teleporting better than the desk situation. It made him feel more comfortable, plus Flash didn't make comments about his detention time.

They sat in their assigned desks and Coulson stood behind the desk in the front. A red lever appeared and he pulled it. The kid's desks moved backwards. Holes appeared in the floor and the kids slid down them. Coulson didn't follow them through the ground tubes but instead left the room. The lever disappeared, going back into the ground. He locked the door and made it back towards the principal's office.

The tubes in the floor lead to the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, which was underwater. The heroes were all in costume when they landed. They all jerked in different directions as the Helicarrier moved to its usual position in the sky. A screen appeared in front of them with the face of Nick Fury on it. His expression was monotone as usual.

"Ok team," he said, scanning all of them with the eye that wasn't covered with a patch. He seemed to be staring them down, but they had all grown used to it. At least, by now," you know the drill. Same simulation as yesterday." And with that, the screen shut off.

The heroes all got into their designated positions. Red lines appeared on the floor in the same pattern as yesterday. Peter tried to remember what he had learned yesterday morning and evening. It came to him instantly, like all training that he did now. He knew that it was because of how long he had been with S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Sam, don't move until we tell you to," Spidey said as he moved to the left. He nodded at Iron Fist, who moved forward to the right," Ava, trying moving now. I think you got shocked because Fist hadn't moved yet."

"Got it," Ava said as she jumped to her right. She growled under her breath, waiting for lightning to come. She gave out a tired sigh and looked at Peter," why are you in charge? I don't remember us electing you leader."

Peter rolled his eyes as Luke moved diagonally to the left. Danny moved again, this time horizontally to the right. Luke stepped to the right while Ava jumped next to Luke," I never said I was the leader, Tiger. And anyway, it doesn't matter. Sam, fly forwards now and land where we talked about."

"Yeah, or I'm gonna beat the crap outta you. You hear?" Luke shouted and Spidey sighed tiredly. He face palmed. This wasn't what heroes were supposed to do. Plus, Luke's threat wasn't very valid. He had said this for several months now, and hadn't carried out his promise. Spidey still waited for the day that it actually happened. When it did, he wanted to have front row seats.

Sam did as he was told, for the first time since joining the team. He almost landed directly in front of Ava, with a sly smirk. All steadily glared at him, which made him switch positions. As soon as his feet touched with the said position on the ground, Danny did a series of jumps and flips towards him. Luke did a series of flips and stomps until he was standing beside Danny and Sam. Ava soon followed the other three along with Peter. Soon after that, the red lines on the ground disappeared.

At that moment, the screen behind them lit up. The heroes all turned towards it as Nick Fury appeared. He didn't seem to have gained any emotion since seeing them last. Peter wandered if he ever had any emotion. He knew that he did, but it didn't seem like it most of the time.

"Well done team," he said, holding a button in his hands. He nodded at them in agreement," now go eat some lunch." And with that, he pressed the button. Blue light consumed the young heroes as they teleported back to Midtown High.

Peter quickly grabbed his lunch and headed for the library. He was fortunate to have friends that supported him. He hadn't missed lunch with either M.J. or Harry, well ever. Today, and the rest of this year, would be a first. He just hoped they would forgive him. He knew they would, but sometimes people could be meticulous.

As soon as the doors opened, he searched the room for any Quiz bowl members. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the wave of a hand. The hand disappeared and soon a redheaded girl came into view. She was on the short side and her arms were well muscled. Light freckles adorned her face and her fiery red eyes seemed familiar.

"Hi my name's Zara Taylor and I'm captain of the varsity Quiz bowl team," Peter cocked his head from side to side. He tried to recollect who this girl was. His memory wasn't very good, because the next thing that came out of her mouth reminded him of last night," I'm the one who called you last night."

He reminded himself to go to bed earlier, if that was possible. He knew that Fury ran evening training sessions late. However, they didn't always start at the same time. He shook his head, trying to get out of his revere," Oh yes, I remember now. The cranky lady who called on my cell phone?" he said as he followed her farther into the library.

She seemed to blush at the latter comment," Sorry about that. I have eight older brothers who like to perform little pranks on their baby sister." When she stopped, Peter noticed that there were several tables with several chairs at them.

The tables were mahogany and the chairs had what looked like cushions on them. At the nearest table to Peter, there were three other people sitting with what looked like their lunches. It also looked like they had some homework with them, and Peter shook his head. The tables were long and thick.

Peter turned to Zara as she led him down the table. There was at least one other boy, who he thought was familiar. He had shaggy blond hair and a short sleeve turquoise shirt with khaki pants. Danny," I didn't know you had older brothers."

Zara nodded," Some people don't. Although they did go to this school, it's not as if they were stars of the football team or anything. My older brother, Leo, is a senior."

"So who are the rest of the team?" asked Peter, making a mental note of Zara's older brother. He had vaguely seen the kid around the hallway, and tried to picture him. If Peter recalled correctly, this kid looked nothing like the fiery haired girl sitting next to him.

"Well the girl with the black hair, her name's Valerie," Zara said and the black haired girl waved. She was sitting next to Danny. Zara nodded," and I think you already know, Danny Rand. He's an expert on K'un Lun stuff."

Peter nodded and Danny spoke," I studied in Kun Lun. It helps," he shrugged and turned to Peter," I expected to see you here earlier than I."

All eyes turned to Peter. The web-head didn't know what else to do but shrugged. What else could he do? When Harry had informed him about it, it had sounded interesting to say the least. He decided to change the subject," So who's your fourth player? The one that couldn't make it?"

"Gwen," Zara supplied as she began to pick at her mashed potatoes. She opened her bottled water and began to drink. After a few swigs, she finished," Gwen Stacy. She's normally pretty good with current events and stuff. However, she rarely shows up to practices or matches."

Peter nodded, taking in what she said. Whoever this person was, he felt bad for them. This kind of match thing, it seemed cool. He was glad he had signed up for it. Even though he was junior varsity, they still had matches and traveled with the varsity. Peter was also glad that he could be part of this experience.

"Zara, I do not think we should not judge our teammate," Danny said and Peter shook himself out of his reverie. He knew that what Danny was about to say was something wise. Monk-like," she is not to blame for all of her absences."

"I know," Zara replied as she finished her mashed potatoes. She drank some more water and then grabbed a chicken nugget. Peter took out his own lunch and took a bite from his peanut butter and jelly," I just wish she'd tell us when she's going to be gone so we can be prepared."

Valerie nodded in agreement, as she wrote something down on her paper. She closed her notebook and then took a swig of her chocolate milk," I'm completely with you, sister," turning to Peter she said," So, what's your area of expertise Peter?"

Peter was caught off guard by this question. He knew what she was talking about, but at the same time, he didn't. Peter decided to ask," Um, what do you mean by that?" Zara stopped chugging her water for a moment.

"Like, what's the area you know most about," Valerie informed him as Zara continued to gulp her water. Peter nodded," there are tons of topics. Science, math, history, archeology, geography, stuff like that."

"Oh, I'm mote of a science and math type of guy. You know physics, biology, chemistry, stuff like that." He answered, feeling better about the situation. Valerie nodded and Danny smirked. Peter would've rolled his eyes, if they were the only two in the room.

Zara put down her water long enough to answer," Cool." She turned away from Peter, engaged in her homework. Peter sighed as he finished his sandwich and worked on his apple. His eyes didn't remove themselves from the apple as the librarian entered the room.

She was a tall woman with short brunette hair. She wore a dark blue blazer over a shirt and pencil thing skirt on the bottom. She smiled warmly at the players and everyone stopped doing what they were doing. As if under Mesmero's trance, their heads snapped up to look at her. She sat down at a nearby table.

"Peter, right?" she asked, her voice candy apple sweet. Peter waved his hand and she turned to him," Thanks for coming, Peter," Peter recollected the librarian now that he saw her," Ok did anyone get the buzzers?" she asked and everyone turned to each other. She sighed and rolled her eyes," That's ok. I'll go get them while you guys wait here." And with that, she left.

Sooner than Peter thought was possible, Ms. Brown reappeared with three boxes. She set one down where she had been sitting, and the other two on the player's tables. The other three players quickly set up. In them, Peter noticed that the buzzers were on top of the handles and red. The team plugged in the buzzers into the giant machine on Ms. Brown's table. The machine itself was small and square shaped.

Zara turned to Peter as the other two tested their buzzers. Ms. Brown disappeared again," Hey Peter, I know you're new to this, but before the matches we're going to need your help setting up."

Peter nodded as Ms. Brown reappeared again with a stack of paper," I know." He faced forward as Ms. Brown reappeared. Once they were done testing their buzzers, Ms. Brown read off the first question.

"What do the letters in E=MC2 stand for?" she asked, her thumb drumming over what looked like her own buzzer. Peter wasn't exactly sure what she needed that for, but he figured he would find out. He pressed his thumb to the buzzer and heard an obnoxious sound like that of an electrocuted bee. Ms. Brown turned to him," Yes, Peter?"

"The e stands for energy," he said, feeling confident about this question. He knew that he would get it right, but he was still nervous about it. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he was," the m stands for motion and the c stands for light energy."

Ms. Brown nodded," Yes, that's correct." She pressed her buzzer and Peter knew what it was used for now. He saw that whenever someone buzzed in Ms. Brown's machine, lit up. Ms. Brown's buzzer took care of the light.

"When was the first full motion picture created in United States history?" she asked and two bees were electrocuted. Peter looked around to see that Valerie had also buzzed in. He sighed tiredly and listened as Valerie answered.

"The first full motion picture film made in United States history was in 1937. The movie was Walt Disney's _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_."

Ms. Brown nodded," That's correct. Next question," her eyes scanned the page for several minutes. When she finally stopped, her eyes lit up. She looked up at the group, and smiled," this one is current events. Who was on the front page of the Daily Bugle newspaper just yesterday-"Ms. Brown didn't get to finish her sentence because Peter buzzed in," Yes, Peter?"

"Spider-Man." he answered, practically spitting. Both of the girls turned to him, surprised expressions on their faces. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Danny wasn't as impressed as the others were.

Ms. Brown nodded," Very good, Peter."

Peter nodded and listened as Ms. Brown read the next question. He buzzed in, and got the answer correct. Ms. Brown continued reading off question, some answers he knew, and some answers he didn't. As the practice continued, Peter was on a winning streak. After a while, Ms. Brown stopped and laid the pile of paper on the table.

"I think you guys are ready;" turning to Zara she said," make sure he learns the ropes." And with that, she left the group without another word. Peter had already finished his lunch during practice. He turned to Zara expectantly as she finished her homework.

"Ok," Zara said," the rules for this game are very simple. The first person to buzz in, as you might have already seen, gets to answer the question. If you answer the question wrong, then the other team gets to answer it. The teams are composed of at least four people."

"There are sometimes lightning rounds, where the moderator asks questions within a sixty second time limit. If we answer questions correctly in the lightning rounds, then we get bonus questions," put in Valerie as she stood up. Her black hair flowing down her back. Danny stood behind her, leaning against the table," Only the captain is allowed to answer for the team in bonus and lightning rounds. They're allowed to do what's called deferring, which means the captain can allow another person to answer the question."

"If the game ends in a tie," Zara continued as Valerie turned to Danny. She seemed to always be talking to him, and Peter didn't know why. He knew Danny personally. The guy could be overly mature and slightly annoying," then we can go five minutes into overtime until somebody wins. If not, ten and so on. By the way, if you shout out an answer before the moderator is done reading the question and you get the answer wrong then you lose a point. If you get it right, then you get a point."

Peter nodded, trying to take it all in. The rules seemed to be simple enough. They wouldn't be a problem to memorize. Especially considering that Peter sometimes had a hard time memorizing other things. The lunch bell rang and Peter followed the others to class.

He could definitely say that lunchtime was now his favorite time. Plus, he didn't have to worry about Flash Thompson bothering him. Or trying to look out for Flash Thompson. Or trying to watch out for one of Flash Thompson's bully attacks. He suddenly realized that he worried a little too much about Flash Thompson. A lot, actually.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder from behind. He stopped halfway to his locker to see Zara. She was standing there, her fiery red eyes now very noticeable. Peter shook himself out of his reverie.

"Hey Peter, you can keep walking to your locker. I just wanted to tell you how good a job you did at practice," she said with a smile. Peter was liking this more and more. He continued towards his locker, with Zara trailing behind him. He noticed that some of the boys seemed to quiver as they walked past," I know you're new, but I've never seen anyone answer that many questions in a row before."

Peter nodded as he opened his locker. She leaned against the nearby locker. He quickly grabbed his things," Yeah, well, I guess I just know a lot of stuff. That's all." He closed his locker.

"Yeah well, if you keep that up, you could possibly join the varsity. Ms. Brown's always looking for new players. Especially now that Valerie's graduating," She said with a warm smile," Well, I gotta go. See you after school." And with that, she left.

Peter's thoughts remained on her as he got to class. As usual, he sat near the back. If he sat directly in the back, then the teacher's might catch onto his strategy and call on him. If he sat near the back, they might not call on him as much. It wasn't that he didn't like speaking in class. It was that he didn't like to hear comments from Flash Thompson. Sometimes, he wished that he could give that idiot jock a piece of his mind.

He quietly got his needed materials gathered together as he watched other students enter. When the bell finally rang, he was more than thankful. He hated to wait long for just about anything. He was also thankful that he had finished his homework the night before. He listened as the jocks complained that they hadn't had enough time to finish. Peter scoffed mentally, and smiled to himself.

The class passed by painfully slow, especially considering it was lecture day. Although for some reason, he was nervous. He couldn't really place the reason, but he felt it. His heart pounded faster than usual, and he felt a little sweaty. He hurried to his next class, which seemed to drag on longer than usual. It felt like an eternity before the bell rang for school to end.

He hastened to his locker, being the first out the door. His legs raced to his locker faster than he registered it. As soon as he had his thing, he headed to the library. He noticed that the only other people there were his Quiz bowl team, Ms. Brown, M.J., and Harry.

The doors must've been louder than he originally thought, because as soon as he entered everybody turned to look at the door. Zara and M.J. were the first to greet him. M.J. was holding what looked like a digital camera, her phone, a note pad, and a pen.

"Hey M.J. what are you doing with that stuff?" he asked, pointing to the camera, note pad, and pen. Harry came up behind M.J., who didn't seem to mind having Harry that close to her. Usually, she was a space freak.

"Well, we need someone from the school newspaper to cover this match," Zara informed him and M.J. winked," ok, Peter, why don't you follow me and help set up? I think the others are pretty much ready."

Peter nodded towards Zara with a smile," Sounds good. I'll be there in a minute, Zara," Zara left the scene as Harry moved in. The two boys shook hands," Hey bro, so glad you could make it."

"Yeah man, wouldn't miss it for the world. Can't wait to see you play," he turned towards where the other players were, then back at Peter. He seemed to have a gleam in his eyes. Peter knew that look. Harry had that look whenever he had a crush. Peter had seen it only a million times over the years, and it never got old," by the way, who's the red headed babe? She didn't exactly introduce herself to me yet."

Peter shook his head and sighed as M.J. left to take pictures. Normally, she allowed the boys to talk alone on some subjects. For the most part, girls happened to be part of that deal. He decided to answer Harry's question, even though Zara might kill him later for it. If she ever figured it out," Her name's Zara Taylor. She's the captain of the varsity Quiz bowl team and has eight older brothers."

Harry nodded and seemed to ignore the last part. Before Harry could say anything else, Peter walked towards his teammates. He quickly set up his buzzer, and looked around. He twiddled this thumbs, until he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Aunt May, with Ava behind her. Both were smiling and he turned to face them.

"Aunt May," he said and wrapped her in his arms. After a few minutes he pulled away," Ava." His eyes looked from Ava to May and back several times. It almost seemed as if they were mocking him on purpose.

"We met Aunt May in the hallway," Ava informed him with a grin. Turning to May the two shared a look and then Ava turned back to Peter. They must've shared some inside joke, because Peter didn't understand why they laughed afterward," how come you never told her about us, Pete?"

Peter looked from Ava to May again, still unsure of what had happened. He knew that Ava had just told him that they had met in the hallway. However, part of him still couldn't process that they were in the same room together. He tried to make sense of it all while he answered," Uh, you know how school is. Busy, busy, busy."

Ava rolled her eyes, obviously unimpressed. He tried to focus on Danny and Luke talking behind Ava and Aunt May. She scoffed," Yeah, right. I'll talk to you about this later. Good luck at your match, stink face." She said and lightly bumped his arm.

Aunt May took his hand, squeezed it, and then went to sit down in the multiple rows of chairs. They were located to the right side of the tables. Peter rubbed his arm as Zara came up next to him. She let out a long, tired, sigh as Peter turned to her," So Zara, are you ready for this match?" he asked, trying to make light conversation. She turned to him and smiled warmly.

"To tell you the truth, I never feel ready for these things," she answered, looking off into the distance. It almost seemed like she was memorized by something, but Peter couldn't tell what. He looked where her eyes were looking, and then back at Zara," even though my family makes me practice all week, I still don't feel prepared."

Peter nodded, understanding how she felt," Yeah, I know what you mean. But seeing you in practice, I know you'll do great. Just be yourself, and relax."

Zara's eyes popped and she stood straighter, as if she had been poked in the ass by a hot poker. She still looked as if she was staring off into space, and Peter turned to see where she was looking.

Off to the right where several rows of chairs were set up, was a large family. There were two parents, and eight boys. Peter thought that must've been her family. He recalled her talk about her older eight brothers, and noticed the boys. Zara had said that they hadn't played football, so maybe they must've done another sport.

Valerie stood to Peter's right with a warm smile. Danny was the only person sitting, and Valerie soon joined him. Zara soon joined her and Peter decided to go with the flow. Valerie nudged Peter on the shoulder as more people entered the room. The chairs were mostly filled," Break a leg Peter, I know you're going to do great."

Peter nodded and watched as Ms. Brown entered the room with Principal Coulson behind her. She smiled warmly at them and held a thumb up. Quickly, she took a seat near the front row and all watched as the other team entered the library. They seemed a bit arrogant, and held their heads up high. There were five of them, so they had at least one substitute. Their coach entered as well and sat down next to Ms. Brown. The parents soon followed, taking their place in the chairs.

Quickly, Principal Coulson made his way towards the tables. The other team sat in the table next to Midtown high. Their buzzers had already been set up and they sat with their hands folded. Everyone turned to Coulson, who was waiting for the buzz of conversation to die down.

"Hello everyone," he greeted with a smile as his eyes searched the crowd," and thank you for coming to this Quiz bowl match between Midtown High and Queens High. Please turn off all cell phones or pagers, or even put them on vibrate," turning to the contestants he said," good luck to all of you," then he turned back to the crowd," and now I'll hand you over to the Midtown High Quiz bowl coach, our very own librarian, Ms. Brown."

"Thank you," she said as Principal Coulson sat down near Ava, Luke, and Sam. He leaned back in his, and crossed his legs. Ms. Brown began to cover the rules," Each round will be at least seven and a half minutes and there will be two rounds. Mrs. Carter and I will switch positions as moderator. Normally, we have a timer, but nobody volunteered so Mrs. Carter and I will be the timers as well."

She turned towards her team as the Queens High students tested their buzzers," Break a leg you guys." She whispered and made her way to her table. The Midtown High team tested their buzzers and the game began.

Ms. Brown read out the first question," What is the Pythagorean Theorem?" One of the Queens High students buzzed in, along with everyone on the Midtown High team. Ms. Brown turned to Peter," You buzzed in first Peter, so you get to answer. Go ahead."

Peter thought for a moment, the spotlight on him. Perspiration came down his face and he wiped it off. He decided that now he would answer the question," The Pythagorean Theorem takes the smaller two sides of a right triangle and when added together creates the hypotenuse."

"That is correct." she said and put a mark under Midtown high on her paper. The match had begun and there was no looking back now.

**Me: So I figure I have your attention now that I left you with a cliffhanger. Plus, it was a long chapter. I would like to thank anybody who reviewed my last chapters, especially NakedKing! They mean a lot!**

**I would also like to apologize for not updating sooner. I was taking a bit of a writing break. I would also like to say Happy Belated (depending on when I get this out) Fourth of July!**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except the plot and my Oc's so please ask before you use them!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Four, Ultimate Work

So far, the score between Queens and Midtown were almost neck and neck. Queens had fifteen points while Midtown had ten. There were several questions where Midtown had almost gotten them, but one little mishap had steered them off course. The audience seemed to be on the edge of their seats, even though it was break time. Peter was fortunate that M.J. had brought him a water bottle, because his throat was parched. He hadn't known that answering questions would be thirsty work.

The Queens High students had switched players and were talking amongst themselves. They still seemed high arrogant, as if they were wiping their victory in Midtown's face. Part of Peter, a very large part, wanted to go over there and let them have it. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Zara. She sat down next to him, a grim expression on her face.

"Hey Pete, I know what you're thinking," she said as she gulped down some water. Pete noticed that she had drunken several water bottles full of water. He wondered how she could drink that many, and yet still drink more," these guys are tough, but I know we can beat them. We've done it before, and we'll do it again."

Pete wondered how they had beaten them last time. He wondered if having him on the team had been a mistake. If instead, they should've just made Gwen Stacy attend anyway. He wasn't really sure why he felt this way, but to hide his internal discomfort, he nodded," Yeah, they are tough. What's their problem anyway? Why are they acting so snooty and bitchy?" he whispered, jabbing this thumb at the other team's table.

Zara shrugged nonchalantly as she leaned back in her chair. Now Mrs. Carter was the moderator. She looked older than Ms. Brown with strays of gray mixed in with her brown. Her eyes watched both teams carefully, as if scanning their insides. This made Peter shudder," I think I heard one of my brothers tell me that they're a private school or something. Anyway, it doesn't matter. We have to win this thing, and I know you're going to keep doing great in this next match. Just remember not to buzz in before the moderator is done speaking, ok?"

Peter blushed, feeling embarrassed. He recalled those times that he had buzzed in before the moderator was done, thinking he knew the answer. When he had gotten it wrong, Ms. Brown looked as if she were about to have a heart attack. He had felt especially embarrassed when the other team had gotten it right. He had known the answer, and was still sort of beating himself up over it.

"Alright everybody get back in your seats and let's begin round two," Mrs. Carter spoke in a creaky voice. She held up her stack of papers and set up her timer. As if to praise her team she said," Let's remember that Queens High has fifteen points and Midtown only has ten. Anything can happen during these seven and a half minutes, so I'd like to wish a good luck to all players. We'll be starting off with some more current events."

Again, she read off the rules as if they needed to be reiterated. After she was done, everyone tested their buzzers. Midtown started first, trying to make the most obnoxious and annoying sounds as they could. Mrs. Carter seemed to be ignoring them when she went on to Queens high. She read off the first question fast. Peter made a mental note.

"Who, just last week, gave a speech about upgrading security around New York and the world?" she asked and Peter was the first to buzz in. She turned to him, her glare evident to the teenage boy," Yes?"

"Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." he answered and the woman stared at him, appalled. Slowly, she shook her head and then nodded.

She read off the next question, putting a crappy slash mark point to Midtown. Some of the members of the crowd cheered at this, and were immediately quieted down by Principal Coulson. Even though it was small cheer, Coulson didn't want to hostile feelings between teams. Too late. Principal Coulson gave Mrs. Carter the signal to continue, and she did.

"What is Mr. J. Jonah Jameson's goal as of right now?" she asked and everyone buzzed in. She looked around the tables, trying to figure out who had buzzed in first.

One of the Queens high students spoke up first. It was a girl with short, spiky brunette hair," Mrs. Carter? I think one of the Midtown high students buzzed in first."

Mrs. Carter turned to the Midtown team, who all pointed to Peter. She sighed tiredly and Peter answered the question," To get rid of that menace Spider-Man."At this, everyone in the crowd laughed. Finally, Mrs. Carter glared at Principal Coulson. He got the message, and quieted everyone down.

She put another shitty slash mark that could barely be passed off as a point. So far, it was twelve to fifteen and things were looking alright to Midtown high. However, they couldn't get cocky. So they were up by two points, but that didn't mean much. They still had to get four more points to get ahead of Queens. This was going to be a long match.

As the game went on, the questions went faster and faster. Midtown and Queens both earned points. Occasionally a person would buzz in early, and earn their team a point. If the answer was incorrect, then the other team would throw a hissy fit. The portion of the crowd supporting that team would "aw" or start swearing under their breath. In this case, Principal Coulson would have to quiet everyone down. Eventually, it came down to the nit and grit. Queens and Midtown were tied, with one question left. Mrs. Carter read the question slowly, having been asked to slow down several times throughout the course of the match.

"Name one of Spider-Man's abilities." before anyone else could, Peter pressed his buzzer as hard as he could without breaking it. The moderator turned to Peter.

"He can stick to walls, he can shoot webs, and he has a Spidey-sense." Peter answered and Mrs. Carter glanced at her sheet of paper. For some reason, whenever Midtown high answered, she always had to look at her paper to see if they were correct. Several times during the match, Midtown had gotten the answers accurate; and she hadn't given them the points. She had given the excuse that the answers weren't entirely what the paper said they were. Peter still waited, anticipation eating up his patience. It seemed everyone in the audience was waiting as well. Aunt May glanced from Peter to Mrs. Carter and back again. Finally, Mrs. Carter gave her answer.

"It was only supposed to be one," her eyes scanned the crowd and she sighed tiredly," but those were of course correct."

The entire Midtown high team stood up and high fived each other. The Midtown high supporters hooped and hollered. All celebrated with hugs and pats on the back as the Queens's students and supporters left. Mrs. Carter seemed to be glaring at the students, as if they could've controlled fate. Peter would've liked to see that, but not right now. Right now, he was going to celebrate.

He felt his friends high fives on his hand, which would probably be red later. He felt almost squished from behind and turned to see M.J. Once she pulled away, Harry shared a bro hug, and high five. Once Harry left, Peter hugged Aunt May tightly. It was a while before she pulled away, with a smile that lit up her entire face.

"Good job tonight, sport," she said ruffling his hair as people began to leave. He could hear and see them, but he didn't care," I already have dinner ready all we need to do is heat it up," Peter looked at Zara and then back at Aunt May. She laughed whole heartedly, something Peter hadn't heard in a long time," I'll let you see her, first. I'll be out in the car." And with that, she walked away.

Peter watched as Zara made her way towards him followed by a tall, muscular, man. As he came nearer, Peter made out more details about him. First, he had dark caramel hair that was beginning to have gray strands near the top. His eyes were a light green. He wore a simple short sleeve shirt and slacks.

"Hey Peter," Zara said and the teenage boy shook his head out of his reverie. He tried to focus mainly on Zara," this is my dad, Luke Taylor."

Peter waved at Zara's father. When the man spoke, it was with a deep bass voice. It was authoritative, yet gentle," You did a nice job during that match there, son. Zara could learn a thing or two from you. Especially about Spider-Man."

"Dad," Zara said, elbowing him in the stomach. It must not have had any affect on him, because he didn't react," he's just a new guy. Subbing in for Gwen Stacy."

Luke scoffed, sounding unimpressed," So I see," he turned to Peter," like I said, nice job out there, son. Is this your first time in a game?"

Both turned to Peter, perspiration coming down his face. He felt pressured, not sure, if he should tell the truth. So far, this man seemed nice. What did he have to hide from him?" Actually, it is. Why do you ask?" he still felt nervous talking to him, his anxiety growing.

"Just an instinct," Luke responded as he turned around to look at something. What, Peter wasn't sure. After a few moments, he recalled seeing the rest of Zara's family at the match," you seemed a bit like a newbie. Anyway, I have to go. I think my wife is calling. Zara, I want you outside in five minutes, ok?"

Zara nodded," Ok, daddy I'll be there," she turned and watched as he went. Some of the boys waved at her, while she stuck her tongue out at them. When she turned back to Peter, she sighed," Sorry about that. My dad served in the military, so he can be a bit harsh. You really did do great; especially considering it's your first time."

Peter nodded," Thanks, but I better get going. Aunt May's got dinner ready and I still have that history report to do."

"Plus that chem lab response. Do you need any help?" Peter stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head. He had only just remembered the assignment Zara had informed him about.

"No, I shouldn't and thanks for reminding me." He said and grabbed his stuff. As quickly as his legs could carry him, he left the library and school behind.

As he ran, he noticed Flash and his gang, but didn't bother to stop. He figured they had seen the match, or at least knew about it. Either way, he didn't care right now. He wanted to finish those assignments as fast as he could so that he had time to patrol and train. As soon as he found Aunt May's car, he put his backpack on his lap and closed the door. He noticed Aunt May was reading.

"Ready to go?" asked Aunt May, which almost made Peter jump out of his seat. He nodded and she turned it on. Sooner than later, Peter and May were riding out of the parking lot. She smiled at him, feeling pride all over," I'm very proud of you, Peter. I know Ben would've been too."

Peter nodded and felt proud himself. He knew that he had done well today but he also knew that the day wasn't over. He still had assignments to do. Not to mention patrolling and training. As soon as Aunt May had the car turned off, he grabbed his backpack and raced to his room.

Aunt May sighed, and went to the kitchen. She pulled the leftovers of lasagna out of the refrigerator and put them in a container. Putting them in the microwave, she decided to check on Peter. The match had been good for him, but she wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten in over his head. She walked up the stairs, trying to be quiet. She knew that the timer on the lasagna wouldn't go off for another twenty minutes.

As she neared Peter's room, she noticed that the door was just barely hanging open. Normally, Peter's door was either all the way open or all the way closed. Depending on what he was studying. Something must be wrong. May could smell it. She knocked on the door and Peter immediately answered. Pencil tucked behind his ear, this was never good.

"Peter, are you alright? After that match, you went straight to your room and didn't say a word. What's up?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

Peter cocked his head to one side, and then the other. This was his way of stalling, and May knew it," I feel fine. How long is dinner?"

May shook her head and sighed," When you're ready to tell me what's going on, let me know. By the way, dinner's in twenty minutes." And with that, she walked back down the stairs.

Peter shrugged and closed his door once again. He was already almost done with his history and chemistry. He had almost rushed them, but knew that neither would have turned out the way he wanted. Plus, he would probably be marked down for rushing them. Not to mention teased by Flash Thompson that he didn't get a perfect grade.

After several minutes of silence, Peter's eyes took to the clock in his room. He saw that it was close to dinner and was fortunate to have finished one project. He thought back to what Aunt May had said about admitting what was bothering him. To tell the truth, there was something bothering him. However, he didn't want to bother her anymore than he had to. He didn't want her to worry.

He had almost finished the chemistry response when he heard Aunt May call for dinner. He set aside chemistry and went downstairs. It was nice to have a break from homework even though he hadn't been working on it very long. He made his way to the kitchen, keeping in mind what Aunt May said earlier.

Dinner was on the table as soon as Peter sat down. Aunt May didn't say anything as he dished out what he wanted. It wasn't much, just to sustain himself long enough to do his homework. He took a little more, just enough to sustain him for training, not to mention patrol. The entire meal Peter tried to get Aunt May to speak, but she didn't. For some reason, he couldn't get her to say anything. He didn't understand what was bugging her, but he decided to ask. Even though he figured that, she might not answer anyway.

"Aunt May what's bugging you? You haven't spoken throughout dinner." Peter's eyes turned to her, their childishness having remained the same since Peter's childhood. May sighed tiredly and pushed back her plate.

"That depends," she said cooly as her eyes went to the floor. Peter instantly felt guilty for having caused her grief. He hadn't meant to," are you going to tell me what's wrong with you? You never study with your door a creak open and you always talk to me when I drive you home."

Peter shrugged nonchalantly as he finished his lasagna. He didn't want to tell her that he was a superhero, but sometimes he felt that he should've. He pushed his plate away from him, his glass almost drained," I just feel like I have a lot on my plate. Physics club starts tomorrow; I have a history report due, a chemistry response, not to mention science club starts next Monday." He replied and rushed off to his room.

After a while, Aunt May nodded and took care of dinner dishes. His answer had told her everything, whether he had meant it or not. She shook her head and tried to think of ways to unstress Peter. She knew what Ben would've done, and she knew that she had to stop living in the past. Ben was Ben, and May was May. She had to do this gently, she knew that much.

Peter was up in his room, finishing his chemistry. After he had finished, he put on his costume. As he left, he made sure to close the window. He swung his way to the house nearby, which was M.J.'s. He hoped that M.J. never caught him doing this or else he was in serious shit.

He thought about May's reaction to his response. Her reaction, which had been nothing, had surprised Peter. He tried to figure out why she hadn't reacted when a light bulb went off in his head.

When he finally reached the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, he noticed that most of the lights were on. Not to mention that everything seemed more, open, than it usually did. As if something bad was going to happen. Peter wondered what was going on.

**Me: So I figure that was a cliffhanger, but I also figure it'd make you continue reading. I apologize for not updating in a while, but I had a friend over and an open house.**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except my own Oc's so please ask before you use them!**


	5. Chapter 5

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Five, Catch up

The next day Peter trudged to school, only twenty-five minutes late. He was fortunate that Harry had left a door open for him. He hurried to his locker with Harry by his side. Peter turned to Harry, who seemed less focused than usual although Harry never focused on much. Peter cleared his throat and Harry turned to his friend.

"Hey Harry, thanks for keeping that door open for me. Couldn't have made it to school without you." He said and Harry nodded, still looking dazed.

After awhile, Harry shook his head," Oh, you're welcome Pete. You know I always look out for you." Peter noticed that Harry still looked dazed. He tried to think of ways that Harry could be dazed as he headed to class. Fortunately, no one looked at him as he entered and completed the assignment.

Class seemed to drone on forever until the bell rang. Peter raced out of the room and something inside him clicked. As he was at his locker, he noticed Harry talking with Zara. They were both standing in the center of the hallway, other students walking around them.

He rushed to his next class, careful not to run into Flash Thompson. Sadly, this didn't happen. Standing in the doorway of the art room with his friends behind him was the blond football star himself. A sly smirk marked his face and his arms were crossed. His cronies followed the same pose.

"So puny Parker heard you helped win the Quiz bowl match last night, is that right?" he asked, uncrossing his arm and moving closer towards Peter. Peter could feel the height of Flash overwhelming him already.

Peter wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Why would Flash care about a stupid Quiz bowl match? Flash seemed to be waiting for his answer, moving his face towards Peter's. Just as he was about to answer, someone else did.

"So what if he did, Flash, "Said a familiar razor-sharp feminine voice from behind. Both bully and victim turned to see a redheaded girl. Zara. Behind her was Harry, his books tight against his chest," why do you always have to pick on him for every little thing he does?"

Peter turned to Flash, feeling confidence flood through him. He would've smirked, had he not known the consequences of such an act. He watched as Flash's expression turned from confidence to looking like he had seen a ghost. He shook his head, and answered Zara," I wasn't picking on him. I was just," he turned to Peter again, chuckling nervously under his breath as he ruffled Peter's hair," congratulating him."

Without another word, Flash and his cronies left. Peter clapped in admiration and Zara bowed. Harry eventually joined in. Once Zara had finished bowing, Harry hugged her and left. She blushed for a while before turning to Peter," How did you do that?" He asked.

Zara continued blushing and curled some hair behind her ear. Both moved out of the way, as people began entering the classroom," Oh, that. Well, one time he tried to flirt with me, and I had repeatedly asked him not to, so one of my older brothers stood up to him. Who knew older brothers could be useful?"

Peter chuckled under his breath at the last comment. Zara's eyes headed to the clock and then she turned back to Peter. At least, where he had been standing. The place that Peter had been standing was now vacated. Zara shook her head and headed to class.

Peter let out a sigh of relief as the class bell rang. Hopefully, Zara had made it on time. He hadn't meant to leave her in the middle of their conversation, but it was the only way to get his ass to class on time. He took out his piece of work, something that hadn't taken him long to do yesterday. He was thankful that art was one of the classes that Flash normally didn't venture to.

However, considering what had happened today, Peter would have to find a different way to class. Either that, or learn how to avoid Flash altogether. However, this last option didn't seem possible.

Peter decided to get an early start on today's assignment. He knew that he had Physics club, and he didn't want to feel guilty for not getting his homework done on time. He knew that none of the other kids had probably started, or even had an idea of what they wanted to do yet. He started sketching the idea on a rough sheet of paper, aware of the time.

The rest of class droned on for what felt like forever. When the bell finally rang, Peter was already halfway through the door. The rest of the morning flew by in a blur, until Coulson called the five teammates down to the office. Peter decided that he would continue to leave his things in his locker. It wasn't that he didn't trust Coulson; it was that he didn't trust Flash.

Fortunately, everyone was on time to "detention." Coulson pulled the red switch that came out of the floor, and the five of them shot down their holes. When Peter could see clearly, he and the others were dressed in their costumes and standing in the Helicarrier.

_All right team listen up. Since you've passed most of the initial tests, it's time to see what you're really made of._

Peter didn't see a holo screen of Nick Fury. He tried to pinpoint the location of Fury's voice, but eventually gave up. Peter's eyes wandered around the room, as they had done a thousand other times. The blabbering voice of Nick Fury seemed to vanish.

After a few moments, Peter felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. He turned to see Ava, who had her hands on her hips. She sighed and shook her head," Did you even hear what Fury said?"

Peter thought about this, and shrugged," I heard some of it, just not all of it. What else did he say?" For some reason, Ava had taken the responsibility of making sure Peter paid attention whenever Fury gave a set of instructions. Normally, it was after he had daydreamed, or decided not to pay attention. Peter still wondered why Ava did this, but didn't spend much time thinking about it.

"Fury wants us to partner up," Ava said," and I choose you. Nova's with Danny and Luke for today." Peter nodded slowly as the two distanced themselves from each other. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the three boys made a triangle.

Peter nodded towards Ava, who was in her usual battle stance. Her legs were a certain distance apart. Her arms were angled and her hands were bent," You can make the first move."

He saw Ava's eyebrow shoot up in suspicion," Are you sure?" she asked and Peter nodded.

At that moment, she charged. It must've annoyed the shit out of her because just as Ava was about to collide with Peter, he moved out of the way. He couldn't help it. His spider-sense was a large part of him. He felt bad for the others, considering they had to deal with Luke, who had skin that couldn't be pierced.

Ava growled in frustration as Peter swung at her legs. She jumped over them as if she were jumping rope. She swung her other foot near Peter's face. By the hair on his head, Peter dodged it and kicked her in the shin with his foot. Ava stepped back, but didn't go down. Their rounds continued like this for another half hour. Finally, something came on over S.H.I.E.L.D's PA system.

_All right recruits, you're done for the day. Now go back to school and eat._

Somehow, blue light consumed the five heroes and they were all teleported back to school. As Peter sat down next to Harry, he noticed that his friend still had a glazed look in his eye. As if, Harry were in his own fantasy world. Peter shook a hand in front of his friend's face, which seemed to snap it back into reality.

"Oh, hey Pete, lunch anything good today?" Harry asked and Peter looked down at his plate. Today was chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes, one of Peter and Harry's favorites. Harry nodded," Guess I'll go get in line."

With that, he walked away. Peter watched his friend enter the grueling social danger one called a lunch line. He squinted as he noticed Harry chatting with Zara. After a while, Harry laughed as Zara got her lunch. Harry did too, and a few seconds later Harry laughed again.

"So are you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked a feminine voice from next to him. Peter turned to see M.J. with her lunch and what looked like a newspaper," Because it seems like this has happened before."

Peter shrugged, thinking over what she had said as Sam sat down. He knew it had, and still recollected all those other girls. He shuddered at the thought, and then nodded," Tell me about it. Wonder why it's this specific girl though."

M.J. shrugged as Harry and Zara sat down. A smile lit up Harry's face, something that hadn't been there for a long time," Hey guys, I want you to meet my new girlfriend, Zara Taylor."

M.J. and Sam greeted Zara. She smiled politely at them and shook hands with Sam. Peter figured that he already knew what Sam was thinking. However, he wasn't going to spoil the love fest. If it weren't for Harry, Peter would've been in serious trouble. Peter nodded towards Zara. He waited until M.J. and Sam were busy conversing until he talked with Zara.

He was fortunate, because after that Harry left the table. Peter leaned towards Zara, who was clearly busy in her mashed potatoes. He decided to chance it if she could hear him," So Zara, how in the hell did you end up with Harry?"

Zara turned to him, chewing her food. He waited for a moment, and then she spoke," Funny you should ask, but his dad wanted him to have a tutor for finals. His dad told Principal Coulson and I was assigned as his tutor. Apparently, his dad's paying me."

She still hadn't answered his question, which was somewhat annoying. He searched the lunchroom for Flash, making sure he didn't hear any of this. Plus, he didn't want an unexpected wedgie to occur. He leaned closer towards Zara as the fiery haired girl moved closer towards him," You still didn't answer my entire question."

Zara shrugged casually as she took two nuggets and popped them in her mouth," So last night we had out first session. He tried to flirt with me, and I felt bad for him so I asked him if he wanted to see a movie sometime. He said yes, and bam. Happy?"

Just then, Harry returned and squeezed himself in between the two. He smiled at Zara," So, did you guys find anything to talk about?" he asked and the two continued eating.

Eventually, the lunch bell rang and all headed back to class with groans and sighs. Principal Coulson herded everyone into the hallway as if they were cattle. After lunch, it seemed as if everyone had taken a slight mental break. Most students hung by their lockers and chatted while others grabbed their things and headed to class. Teachers attempted to make their way through the crowd of students.

When class did begin, Peter felt as if he had put lead in his ears. He could barely hear the teacher, whether it was because he was tired, or something else. He tried his best to hear anyway, even though he could hear Flash Thompson talking about him in the back. It was most likely about last night's Quiz bowl match. M.J. had shown him the school newspaper during lunch, which had the match on the cover. Peter didn't know exactly why Flash picked on him because of the match. To Peter, he didn't know why Flash picked on him at all.

As class droned on, Peter felt less and less tired. He trudged to his next class, knowing that the day wasn't done even after school. He had Physics club, something that didn't seem very thrilling when he thought about it. He liked Physics, but it felt as if his extracurriculars were slowing him down. Now he recalled why he hadn't joined them earlier. They were fun, but they also took a lot of work.

The last class seemed to drone on and Peter was thankful when it was over. He rushed to his locker, only to be met by a girl. She looked familiar, and Peter instantly recognized her from the Physics club table.

_Crap! _He thought as he took his things out of his locker. He waited for the girl to leave, but instead turned to her_, I missed Physics club!_

"Hey Peter, you missed Physics club at lunch. What happened?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned. Peter followed M.J. as the girl followed him. He turned to her again, feeling genuinely apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I forgot. Honest." The girl nodded in understanding.

"It's understandable," she answered. Peter hoped this conversation would end soon. He wanted to get home and get his homework done," Just make sure you find someone and try to catch up on what you missed this meeting."

Peter nodded," I will do that. Thanks, Janice." He said and continued following M.J.

May looked up from what she was doing as the front door opened. Peter walked through, looking exhausted. His face haggard and his arms wrapped loosely around his backpack. He sighed tiredly as he set his backpack on the couch and grabbed a muffin from the basket on the table.

"So Peter, how was your day?" May asked as he made his way upstairs. She followed him, staying at the end of the stairs.

"Oh, it was the usual." He responded as he headed around the corner. May's eyebrows shot up and she walked halfway up the steps.

"Did you make it to Physics club?" She called, putting a hand up to her mouth and reaching forward.

Peter stopped in mid step and turned towards her. He had been halfway to his room when she had asked the next question," No." he sighed tiredly and headed back to his room.

May winced as she watched him resume trudging to his room. He seemed as if he were about to trip any moment. May decided to try to leave him alone to see if he could solve this problem by himself. If not, then May would have to resort to desperate measures. Then again, desperate times did call for desperate measures.

**Me: So I know this chapter was shorter than the others were, but I didn't feel terribly inspired. I promise that I will try to make the next chapter much longer. The training session for today was inspired by Captain Unstoppable from my Ultimate Spider-Man role-play. In addition, the Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes show is being replaced with a new show called Avengers Assemble.**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except my own Oc's.**


	6. Chapter 6

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Six, Great prowess

Peter tossed and turned for what felt like the millionth time that night. Science club had taken more out of him than he had expected. It hadn't even been a week and already Peter was more exhausted than normal. The extracurriculars had really weighed him down, especially on his schoolwork.

As he pushed the covers off himself, he heard a knock on the door. It seemed that Aunt May had taken it upon herself to check up on him since late last week. Peter didn't turn over as she sat herself on his bed. She stroked his hair as he pulled the covers back over himself.

"Peter, are you sure you're ok?" She asked sounding troubled as she continued to stroke his hair gently.

For a week now, Aunt May had been concerned about Peter. She had checked up on him constantly, even at school. Even though Peter didn't feel all right, he wasn't going to worry Aunt May with his problems. She already had enough to worry about, and he didn't want her to be overwhelmed.

Peter shrugged as he turned to lay supine," Of course I am. Especially on top of the entire Physics club, science club, and quiz bowl."

He yawned and covered his mouth. Aunt May nodded," You know, when I wanted you to sign up for extracurriculars, I didn't want you to overwhelm yourself. If you need to back out of one to keep your grades up, then do it. Like your Uncle Ben said, great power comes great responsibility. Love you Peter and I know you'll make the right decision."

With that, she kissed his forehead and left the room. She winked and Peter winked back. After a few minutes, Peter's eyelids grew as heavy as lead. Soon afterwards, sleep over came him.

The next morning at school Peter almost fell asleep at his desk. Even though he had officially gotten to sleep at around eleven, he still felt his eyelids droop. When the announcements came on over the PA system, he jerked up from his position. He shook off his tiredness and continued his assignment.

The rest of the morning dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, the five made their way to the detention room. Peter wondered what exercise Fury would have them do today. Not using their powers was something that Peter couldn't deal with. His Spidey-sense would always warn him of danger and Luke's skin couldn't be pierced.

Peter rode down the hole towards the Helicarrier. Once he was there, he noticed Fury was in the room with them. Hands folded behind his back, his expression was monotone. Peter cocked his head to one side, feeling confused. He waited for the others to join him.

Suddenly, Fury turned towards them. His expression remained a monotone, not revealing any emotion. Sometimes, Peter felt as if Fury was staring them down. Depending on his mood, even glaring them down. Peter tried to look the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D in the eye, but at times Peter felt intimidated.

"So like I said yesterday, you passed your initial training. So now, here comes the good stuff. We will begin with physical exercises such as sparring, and work our way from there. You will continue yesterday's exercise until I say so. Begin, and good luck."

With that, Fury disappeared into the floor. Probably doing something else that required his attention. Like having someone fix the toilets, that Nova messed up. More like pranked people with. Peter didn't have time to complain, seeing as he was paired with the said hero.

He noticed that Danny, Luke, and Ava were all teamed up together. Things like this really made him boil, and he thought they knew that. However, it wasn't like any of them were telepaths. Still, he hated Nova. It was kind of a known fact among the team. If it wasn't, then they really needed to pay more attention to the way he and Nova interacted.

"Ok webs, why don't you make the first move?" Suggested Nova with a sly smirk on his face.

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. He did a series of jumps towards Nova, figuring that it was useless. That Nova would just find a way to fly away, without Fury noticing. However, when Peter's fist collided with Nova's face, he actually felt good about it.

He swung his fist again, this time feeling his spider-sense kick in. He dodged a blue energy blast from Nova. He swung a front kick at Nova, who took it to the face. Peter winced as Nova slid back, his body twisting as he slid.

When Nova stopped twisting, he used another blue energy blast and shot in Peter's direction with it. Again, Peter's spider-sense kicked in and he dodged it. He felt this was going to be a very interesting stalemate. He hoped that he could find some way to beat Nova, or else he was in trouble.

The sparring continued like this until Fury came on over the PA system again. Peter was thankful that he was dismissed, having some stress pushed off his back. He knew that he still had other things to do, but he put those things out of his mind. Right now was lunch, and today he was going to see if he could cut an extracurricular.

As soon as he got to his table, he saw that MJ and Zara were talking to each other. He decided to keep to himself. Who was he to keep girls from talking? He tried to look for someone who was in Physics club.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Turning to see Zara, he gave out a sigh of relief," Hey Peter can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

Peter's eyes glanced around the room. They searched for Flash, who didn't seem to be around. After a while, he turned to her and nodded," Sure."

Zara smiled," Perfect," she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Her red eyes seemed elsewhere," The varsity Quiz bowl team has another match this Friday. We were wondering if you'd like to become part of the team. Ms. Brown thinks you're ready and everyone on the team agrees. So, whaddya say?"

An opportunity like this came only once in a lifetime. Excitement welled in Peter's chest. Mixed with anxiety, he wasn't sure which one to follow. He decided to go with the first, and see where it led him. He cleared this throat," Uh, sure. When is it?"

"An hour after school starting at three o' clock. It's going to be one of the last matches of the season." Zara said and nodded.

"Super, I'll be there then." He answered and left the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched out for Flash.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Peter felt fortunate that he had left Physics club. It wasn't that he didn't like Physics. He did, but he knew that he had to drop one. His grades hadn't been slipping, but there had been several times when they almost had. Not to mention the times he had almost forgotten to hand in his assignment.

When he finally got home he noticed Aunt May wasn't home. He found a note on the refrigerator. Apparently, May had gone shopping. He started directly in on his homework. After a while, he heard a beeping noise coming from his wrist. He pressed it, and a red watch came into view.

"What's up Fury? Training doesn't start for another two hours." He said as he scrawled across the page.

"Just hurry on down here. There's someone I want you to meet. Agent Coulson will introduce them." With the conversation ended, Fury and the watch vanished.

Peter shrugged as he put on his costume. He knew that there was no point in arguing with Fury. Whoever he wanted them to meet, it was obviously important. He left his homework on the kitchen table, halfway finished.

He thought about the person Fury wanted him to meet as he swung towards the Helicarrier. He wondered if the others had been invited as well. His question was answered when he saw a streak of blue racing towards the Helicarrier.

He quickly made his way inside the Helicarrier. Nova followed close behind him. Part of Peter felt annoyed that Nova was so close. He turned to Nova, trying to keep his voice monotone," So who do you think was so important that Fury wanted us to meet?"

Nova shrugged nonchalantly," I don't know. He told me we'd be getting a new teammate. Personally, whoever it is will be better than patrol."

Peter stifled a scoff at Nova's response. Nova on patrol? That seemed like something he wouldn't do. Except maybe in an alternate universe. Peter covered his mouth as he entered the bridge.

The other three team members surrounded Agent Coulson. Standing behind Coulson was a familiar fiery haired girl. She wore a red, orange, and yellow costume. Everyone looked at the heroes as they entered. Other S.H.I.E.L.D agents swarmed around the team.

"Alright Coulson, we're all here." Power Man's arms were crossed, and he sounded a bit impatient.

A smile split across Coulson's face as he stepped back. The redheaded girl stepped forward. Peter got a good look at her face, which still seemed familiar. She wore her fiery locks in a ponytail and a red headband. On her neck was a necklace that looked like it could choke her.

"This is your newest teammate," Coulson said as the girl smiled amiably at them," say hello to Heat Strike. She's a mutant with pyrokinetic abilities."

Everyone greeted the new team members with enthusiasm. Afterwards, Peter turned to Coulson. Being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, he knew that Coulson had something up his sleeve. He seemed to be acting all too joyful that everyone was here. A smirk displayed clearly on his face, which wasn't normal for Agent Coulson. Unless of course, he was assigning work to the team.

"So was there any other reason you called us down here Agent Coulson? Or was it just to have some social time with our new pal?" Ava voiced as she crossed her arms.

The others nodded in agreement simultaneously. Finally, Coulson nodded. His next words were met with opposition. Mostly from Nova, who seemed to have grown attached to Heat Strike. Peter wondered how long it had taken Nova to get rid of MJ.

"Actually, there was," he answered as his smirk grew," Since you, all seem to have joined extracurriculars, I'm moving this week's afternoon training session. Starting at four and ending at five thirty."

**Me: So I know I haven't updated in a while, and I'm really sorry about that. I took a bit of a writing break, but I'm back now. I might slow down my updates when school starts, however that doesn't mean I won't update at all.**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except my own Oc's and the plot!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Seven, Test

"Peter are you sure you're okay?" Asked Harry as he waved a hand in front of Peter's face. Harry waited a moment for Peter to respond.

Peter shook his head out of his revere as he turned to his friend. Glancing at the clock, he let out a sigh of relief. Class started in ten minutes. Harry would have plenty of time. Peter yawned in exhaustion as he turned to Harry.

"Sorry Harry," He said apologetically as he got his notebook out. He couldn't tell Harry what he had really done last night. Although he could tell him part of what he had done," I studied a lot last night."

Harry nodded as he picked his backpack up off the floor. Peter figured Harry wouldn't believe him if he told Harry about the S.H.I.E.L.D training. Besides, he had studied last night. So he hadn't told an entire lie.

"That's all right, Pete," Harry said as he stopped halfway to the door. He crossed his arms, moving to either side as people entered. He gave a small smile," I'm pretty sure most people are just as zombified as you. I know Zara was when she came to tutor me last night."

At that moment, he left. Peter considered what he said as Zara entered. She seemed just as tired as he was, if not even more so. Peter was thankful when the class bell rang. He hoped that Harry had made it to his first hour on time. If not, he would hear an earful from MJ about it later.

As the day dragged on, Peter's thoughts ran wild about who Heat Strike could be. He had his suspicions, but he wasn't entirely sure. He needed proof but wasn't certain how to get it. He waited for her in the detention room with his arms behind his head. Leaning back in his chair, a smug grin on his face.

At that moment, Zara Taylor managed to open the door. She looked as if she were about to scream, then thought better of it. Clamping her mouth shut, she grit her teeth at Peter. Peter's smirk didn't falter as she closed the door.

"So let me guess," Peter said as she went to sit down next to him. She seemed to be angry at him. Maybe it was because he had surprised her. Nevertheless, Peter pursued her anyway;" you're the famous Heat Strike?"

Zara sighed in defeat," Guilty as charged if you must know. Honestly, Peter, I thought you would've figured it out by now." She tossed her curly hair behind her as she turned to face him.

Peter shrugged nonchalantly as Sam sat next to her. He wore a smug grin," Yeah Parker, how did you not figure it out by now?"

He went to wrap his arm around her, only to have it squeezed. He screamed in pain as Zara twisted it. She maneuvered it towards him and then pushed it against Sam's chest. With a grin she moved herself on the other side of Peter. Peter had to admit, that was impressive. Especially for a girl.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you," Zara said in a voice that displayed how powerful she truly was. Sam was rubbing his arm just as everyone else entered the room. She batted her eyelashes," My father's a retired Marine and Infantry Lieutenant."

She gave him a cool, ruthless smile as Principal Coulson walked in. Then, her smile turned friendly and she looked away. Coulson didn't say much as he pulled the red lever. There wasn't much to say. Everyone was here and nothing else mattered. Peter thought about the situation that had happened between Sam and Zara.

He was thankful for his mask once they reached the Helicarrier. He wouldn't want anyone else to know how he felt. His expression was a mixture of confusion and humor. He listened as Fury gave instructions for today's spar. Apparently, today and tomorrow were a test.

The group had to choose a partner, who they would spar with. Tomorrow, they would choose a different partner. Somebody they hadn't sparred with before. Then, Coulson and Fury would talk about who the leader would be. Fury claimed the exercise was because they hadn't chosen a real leader amongst themselves. Peter wondered why they even bothered.

"I call Zara," Sam said and he grabbed Zara's arm. The pyrokinetic didn't protest as he dragged her to a corner of the room. He looked around at everyone else in shock. He shrugged, as if it were no big deal," What? You gotta be faster than that if you want a good partner."

Peter doubted that he had chosen her because she was a good partner. However, he didn't pursue the conversation. He was slightly surprised when he saw Iron Fist walk up to him. The monk bowed and Peter bowed back.

"You may make the first move," Iron Fist said as the two opponents moved a safe distance apart. Peter wondered how Ava was going to manage with Luke. Still, Peter needed to focus on Iron Fist. He was a fair opponent, Peter couldn't argue with that," Or I can."

Peter shook his head out of his revere and nodded towards Iron Fist," Let's see what you got then." He beckoned Iron Fist with a hand. The monk grunted, charging towards Peter.

Instantly, Peter felt a tingling and he dodged Iron Fist's punch. Before Iron Fist could make another move, Peter swung a round house kick. Iron Fist dodged it, and the battle was on.

Peter dodged a karate kick from Iron Fist. Peter sent a flying arachnid disk at Iron Fist. The disk cut the surface of his shoulder, and a thin red line appeared. Iron Fist put a finger tip to the surface of the cut. Once he saw the blood, he charged at Peter once again. This time, with his hand glowing yellow.

Peter dodged another attack, and hoped that the rest of the battle didn't go like this. He issued an attack of his own, a sideways kick of his own. Then he went in for close combat.

Several minutes into sparring and Peter was ready to give up. He knew that Fury would probably lecture him for a good half hour, but he didn't care. For the most part, he ached. So far, it was looking like a stalemate between him and Iron Fist. Even though Iron Fist was more injured that Peter.

He was just about to give up when Fury called it over the PA system. Peter hunched over, letting out a sigh of relief. He and Iron Fist were still breathing heavily when they got back to school. He ran to the cafeteria, grateful to be out of Fury's lab.

As he sat down, he kept his eye out for Flash Thompson. He had overheard the jock talking about messing with him. If Peter recalled, Flash hadn't messed with him since sometime last week. That was when Zara had stuck up for him. Funny, whenever Zara was around Flash didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Peter would have to remember that the next time the blond came around.

He also knew that he had to practice for Friday's match. The team was supposed to be tough. Not to mention, Peter wanted to look good. Not just for the team, but to himself. He was a varsity player now, and he had to play like one.

Even though he had never played for the junior varsity, he felt like he should do better. Better than his last match. Better than he would if he were playing for the junior varsity. He tried to recall who the varsity team was playing. He turned to the captain, Zara Taylor. She seemed a bit on edge, but Peter didn't know why. Maybe Sam had said something to her while they were sparring. He hadn't really paid attention to their conversation, just his own battle.

"So Zara, who are we versing on Friday again?" He asked while popping a fry into his mouth.

The look she gave him almost made him jump back. Zara's eyes were cold and seemed to express weakness. Peter didn't think Zara had it in her to express such an emotion. She had always seemed tough, like a soldier. Then again, Peter remembered what occupation her father had held.

Zara sighed in defeat and took a long swig of milk. When she spoke, she seemed distant," The Brooklyn Badgers. They're the most educated school in Brooklyn and they have five substitutes. Their numbers don't even begin to compare with their smarts."

Just as Peter was about to respond, Zara turned to Harry and MJ. The two were in mid conversation so Peter decided not to bother them. He knew that he should be keeping an eye out for Flash. Even if Zara was around. He also decided to practice, go through the facts he did know and didn't know. It was time to begin training.

The rest of the day dragged on what felt like slowly and painfully. Peter was appreciative when last hour came. Last hour meant he got to go home. However, the truth hit him almost as soon as he walked through the door. Last hour, history, there was a test.

Peter didn't know how he could forget the test. He had studied an hour and a half for this test. He let out a strained sigh. Opening his notebook, he watched as everyone else partnered up. Fortunately, at that moment, Zara entered the room. She seemed to be there whenever he needed her.

She seemed to be more than pyrokinetic, because she sat down next to him. Peter turned to her, his notebook halfway open. She didn't seem to notice he was there until he tapped her on the shoulder. She didn't seem as jumpy when he talked to her this time. In fact, she seemed calm.

"Hey Zara, since everyone's partnered up, would you like to be my partner?" Peter asked as she bent over to get her needed materials. It took a while to her to respond.

"Sure, why not?" She responded with an air of lightness. It was as if the conversation at lunch had never happened. Peter wondered who or what had made her forget it. He didn't press it, at least not now.

A few minutes later the teacher came to pass out tests. Everyone put their things away, and it was a cacophony of sounds. Binders being dropped on the ground, pencils being sharpened, and most of all whispers being shared. There were a few people without writing utensils that either borrowed from a friend or stole one from the teacher.

As soon as they were allowed to, Peter began. He made sure to check and recheck every question. He knew he would finish before the others. Most of the time, he did. Nevertheless, he still checked his answers. Once he was done, he turned it in and went to sit back down. He noticed that Zara was also finished, and decided to learn more about her.

She was reading, her body relaxed and her eyes heavily engaged. Peter wondered when she'd ever see his note. That was, until she passed it back to him. He normally didn't pass notes, but this was an exception. Opening the note, he read her response.

Quickly, he took his pen and scrawled another question. The note passed between the two for several more minutes until the tests were finished. Peter hid the note in the back pocket of his pants. He let out a sigh of relief when the teacher told them he would be grading the test in class.

Eventually, everyone erupted into talking. Peter decided to keep the note in case he ever needed it. He knew that he might as well follow the crowd. For once, it seemed all right to do so. He decided to continue his conversation with Zara.

Putting down her book, she stretched her arms," That was a long test, wasn't it? So how do you think you did?" She asked, leaning on the metal arm of the chair.

Peter shrugged as he turned towards her. Hopefully, no one mistook them for a couple. Most likely, they wouldn't. Especially since Zara was already going out with Harry. Plus, the word would have already spread throughout the school by now. It wouldn't surprise Peter if it had.

After a while, Peter shook his head," Actually, I was a little nervous. Some of those Maginot Line question made me a little nervous. I don't think I'll get any of them correct."

Zara flashed him a confident grin, as if she knew something he didn't. Considering her nature, she probably did," I don't know about that. You seemed to do fine when I quizzed you. You'll do fine. Just believe in yourself."

Peter shrugged as the teacher began to pass the tests back out. The sounds of groans and curse words accompanied it. With those sounds, there were also many yeses and celebratory dances. Peter felt him move to the edge of his seat as the teacher handed him his test, and Zara hers.

Slowly, he moved his hand towards the piece of paper. Flipping it over, he didn't look at the grade. At least, not at first. His eyes made their way to the upper right hand corner of the page. It was an A.

He turned to Zara to see what she got, and instantly looked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her dancing in place. He smiled, a small smile, just for her. Turning back to his own paper, he went to see what questions he had missed. It paid to be smart.

Just as Aunt May turned on her dish washer, she felt a strong force squeeze her from behind. She turned to see Peter, a smile on his face. She smiled as well, the hum of the dish washer in the background. Wrapping her arms around him, she made her way to the living room.

"Hello Peter," She said as the two sat down. Peter grabbed his backpack. May ruffled his hair playfully," How was your day at school today?"

Quickly, he pulled out a piece of paper. A test, from the looks of it. Her eyes searched over the test. A larger smile lit up her face when she saw the grade in the top right hand corner. She ruffled Peter's hair again, and pecked him on the top of the head.

"Good job, Peter," She said as she handed him back the test. He seemed triumphant. May could guess this much," I know Uncle Ben would be proud."

Peter nodded," Thanks Aunt May. I know he would too. By the way, I'm officially on the varsity Quiz bowl team. They have a match this Friday at three o' clock and it's an hour long."

May followed Peter into the kitchen as he grabbed a muffin. Taking a bit out of it, May leaned in the doorway. She nodded," That's great, Peter. I'll make sure I go."

She didn't follow him as he trotted upstairs. May smiled to herself as she sat down and picked up the remote. Her favorite show was almost on. She didn't want to miss it. Leaning back on the couch, she felt like she had finally done something right. She knew Ben would be proud of not only Peter, but May too.

Upstairs, Peter felt his phone vibrate. He took it out of his pocket as he tossed his backpack on the ground. The picture was of Harry, and he opened up his phone. It was a text message.

**Peter**

**Throwing a party Friday. Check my Facebook page for details. Gotta go! Some of us have to study for our As you know!**

**Harry**

Peter fired up his laptop as he took out his science notebook. Quickly, he finished taking notes. As soon as his computer was on, he began to type. His fingers flew across the keyboard with ease, not letting up once. As soon as he found Harry's page, he grinned to himself.

He logged off Facebook, and went back to his backpack. He knew he didn't have much homework. Yet he knew he had training, plus patrol. Just because he had passed this test, didn't mean there wouldn't be more. He knew that what Aunt May had said was correct. Uncle Ben would be proud.

A few minutes later, Aunt May called up for dinner. He set aside his homework and went down. He inhaled the air as he clambered down stairs. Aunt May must've been in a really good mood. She rarely made Stromboli. Even when she did, it was usually a good day.

Peter sat down with Aunt May, feeling good about the rest of this week. He took a Stromboli, and a large sip of water. Not even the upcoming Quiz bowl match could bring him down. The Brooklyn Badgers wouldn't get to him. Not now, not ever.

He had almost forgotten about the party as well. Clearing his throat to speak, he looked at Aunt May. His aunt folded her hands in front of her. She was listening," So Harry posted on Facebook that he was holding a party after the Quiz bowl match. Is it all right if I go?"

Aunt May nodded as she grabbed another Stromboli. She must've been starving. Peter grabbed another one himself," Of course, Peter. You know I trust you with Harry. Just as long as you're back by eleven."

Peter nodded as he continued eating. He couldn't help but still feel proud. He knew the week was far from over. However, he still couldn't help it. For desert, Aunt May made chocolate chip cookies. Peter's favorite. Aunt May must've been in a good mood.

After he had put his dishes away he pecked Aunt May on the cheek. Racing upstairs, he almost didn't miss her smile. Almost. It had been a while since she had genuinely smiled like that. Peter hoped to bring it out more often. He also hoped to finish his homework before training and patrol.

Almost as soon as he finished his homework, he put his mask on. He almost flinched when he heard a knock on his door. Fortunately it was closed. He made sure to keep the window closed as long as someone was there. He figured it was Aunt May. The voice on the other side of the door confirmed it.

"Hey Peter, when you're done in there want to watch something together? I figured we could watch what you want tonight." This made Peter smile and he leaned against the door.

Hopping into his costume he said," Sure. I'm halfway done anyway. I'll meet you down there at nine."

"All right." Said May and that was the last he heard from her. He listened to the sound of the creaking of the steps as she left. Letting out a sigh of relief, he finished dressing. When he left, he made sure to leave his window open a crack. He still recalled the last time he had left it closed and still regretted it.

Swinging from house to house, he thought about what tonight's training would be about. He figured it would correlate with the test. What about the test, was still a mystery. He watched as the Helicarrier closed in on the city. He knew it wouldn't land unless it needed to. Peter knew how to get there without it landing. He had done it too many times before.

The doors seemed to open for him. He wandered his way around the Helicarrier. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. Elsewhere, being the Quiz bowl match. Last week when he had gone to practice, the other team members had seemed frightened at the sound of the Brooklyn Badgers.

He would show them. He would show his team that they would win. All he had to do was work his butt off. He ended all other thoughts except for his training as he entered the simulation chamber. He noticed that Coulson attended which meant that they were going to be covering something new.

Peter tried to act nonchalant as he greeted his teammates. Almost everyone seemed to be present. He noticed that some of his party were chatting with Coulson. It was casual, which meant it was something about school. Peter didn't know of any other reason his party and Coulson would chat outside of school.

A few seconds later the rest of the team joined them. Everyone was quieted and the attention was turned to Coulson. A smirk spread across his face, his hands behind his back. He seemed to be enjoying this. Then again, he always enjoyed training the team.

"Thank you everyone for attending," He said," tonight's training secession will be spent helping you use S.H.I.E.L.D's special toys. Not just your suits, but other personalized weapons as well. We won't get to all of them tonight, but we will cover the more important ones. Any questions?"

Seeing none, he went on. Peter could see where this was going. It wasn't that he didn't like it. It was that he thought it could've happened before now. Way before now. Nevertheless, he kept his thoughts to himself.

Numerous hours later, Peter made his way down to his living room. He had finished Coulson's special training secession long ago. In fact, he had just completed the rest of his homework. He saw Aunt May waiting for him and fortunately, she didn't press any questions.

May clicked on the Tv and Peter plopped down next to her. It felt good to be home. To be sitting next to Aunt May watching television. Even as thunder and lightning marred the sky. Water droplets the size of molecules made a pitter patter on the roof.

He leaned against Aunt May as the show began. The storm outside raged on, but Peter didn't care. This was his time, finally. Time that he spent with Aunt May. Time that he enjoyed, cherished. He knew he only had so much of it left.

After the show was over, he bounded off the couch. As he went to his room, he noticed his aunt following him. He stopped halfway, turning to her. She seemed as if she were going to say something.

"Uh Aunt May, were you going to say something?" He asked, wondering if his thought was accurate.

She nodded," I did, actually. Peter," She said, her eyes almost pleading. Peter wondered what she wanted him to know," I really am proud of you. I want you to always know that. However, I don't want you to spend all of your time studying. I want you to have fun. That's why I asked MJ to bring you to the extracurricular sign-ups. If you need me, you know where to find me."

Without another word, she went into the other room. Peter nodded, taking it all in. After a while, he turned back to go to his room. May watched him as he went a small smile on her face. Pushing herself off of the wall, she quickly followed him. Shutting off the lights as she did, she made sure to be quiet as she went.

In Peter's room, Peter made sure to suit up. Once again, he had to patrol the city. He didn't really have to; it was more of an obligation. He knew Aunt May didn't check his room until after his patrol. Unfortunately, he had to patrol in the rain. The rain itself wasn't that bad. It was the results of it that appeared in his costume.

He opened his window, thinking about what Aunt May had told him. He wondered what was going through her mind. After a few moments, he shook his head and left. He figured whatever it was, had been inspired by Peter's news. What news, he wasn't entirely sure.

An hour and a half later May left her room to check on Peter. She knew she didn't need to, but felt it only right. Peter had gone through a stressful time with his extracurriculars. Last week was the first week he had gotten any real rest. As she made her way to his room, she heard the closing of his window.

Quietly, she knocked on his door. Not hearing anything, she lightly pushed it open. She didn't turn the light on, mainly because she figured Peter was asleep. She pushed it all the way open. Peter's window was closed, and Peter was in bed asleep. Walking further into the room, she lightly kissed his forehead and left.

**Me: So I know I haven't posted in a while, and I apologize. However, my computer died on me. Don't worry, I'm using my mom's laptop.**

**School does start for me tomorrow (or Tuesday, depending on when I get this posted), but that doesn't mean I won't post at all. It just means that I won't post as often.**

**I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed! They mean a lot to me! For those of you who haven't already, please tell me what you think of my Oc Zara in your next review.**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing except my own Oc's so please ask before you use them!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ultimate Schedule

Chapter Eight, Final Exam

The rest of the week flew by in a blur. There were several tests and quizzes that Peter found difficult, however he made sure to study extra hard for them. He also made sure to practice for the match. When Friday did roll around, Peter's entire body tingled with excitement. He didn't remember who they were going against, but he had a good feeling about it. He had a good feeling even though everybody else on the team didn't.

When he sat down at his table, he noticed Zara looking nervous. He decided to talk with her. Tapping her lightly on the shoulder, he didn't anticipate her reaction. She almost jumped away from him. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Calming down when she noticed it was only Peter, she smiled warmly at him.

"Sorry Peter," She said as Harry sat down to her right. Fortunately, he was conversing with MJ at the moment," I guess I'm just a little nervous for this next match. The team we're going against is decent. They've won the annual New York Quiz bowl competition for almost twenty years now."

Peter tried to recall the name of the team. He knew that the group was good, but didn't know much about them. He decided to ask Zara a little more about this bunch. He wanted to know how this team was so good, to try to find a way to defeat them.

"So who are we going against again?" He asked, clearing his throat as he turned to look for Flash. The bully hadn't bothered him since Zara had stuck up for him, but one never knew.

"The Brooklyn Badgers," Zara answered as she took a sip of her milk. She seemed glum just talking about them. Peter wondered why," are the most educated kids in Brooklyn. They've got at least five substitutes, if not more. Their numbers don't even begin to compare with their smarts."

Peter nodded, taking all of this information in. He remembered the training that Fury had given him. He knew there would be a way to beat them. No matter how good they were, no matter how well they played. He turned to Zara, keeping his face determined," I'm sure we can beat them. I know we can."

Zara scoffed in disbelief, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. Her green eyes conveyed doubt. Peter knew and understood her reasoning. Nevertheless, he was willing to prove her wrong. To prove to her that they could defeat the Brooklyn Badgers.

"If you're really so convinced." She said and turned towards Harry. Peter's thoughts roamed to the Brooklyn Badgers as Zara joined in Harry and MJ's conversation.

His brain went to work on a way to defeat the Badgers. Even though he was deep in thought, he continued to keep a look out for Flash. He hoped that he didn't feel a wedgie coming on, or any other of Flash's tricks. Even though he was keeping a lookout for Flash, he tried to practice. If the Badgers were as good as Zara described them, he would need to practice long and hard. Practice would also do him well not only for the sake practicing. They would need an advantage in this match.

The rest of the day dragged on and Peter was thankful when it was time to set up for the match. The others seemed nervous. Even Ms. Brown seemed a little jumpy, however, it didn't seem to show as much. Peter knew it was only a matter of time before their competitors arrived. After a while, everything and everyone were prepared for the Badgers.

Some of the chairs in the crowd were filled with Midtown high spectators. Aunt May sat up front, chatting with MJ. Peter wondered if Ava and the others had received the news. Just as the thought passed through his mind, the doors opened, and his teammates entered. Principal Coulson paced back and forth in front of the Midtown high table. His forehead was creased and he looked at the floor, mumbling to himself under his breath.

Peter sat at his seat, quietly twiddling this thumbs. Finally, the doors to the library opened. Everyone concurrently turned to look at the doors. In came the Brooklyn Badgers, their coach, and their spectators. The Badgers wore a uniform, along with the coach. The spectators took their seats along with the players.

Coulson straightened his jacket as he called attention to the crowd. Once everyone had stopped their conversations, Coulson began. Peter noticed Coulson's discomfort, even though the principal slash S.H.I.E.L.D agents was doing his best to disguise it," Thank you everyone for coming. I would like to remind you all that out of respect for our players we would like you to please either turn off your cell phones or put them on vibrate," He looked at each audience member," and now I will turn it to our Quiz bowl coaches, Ms. Brown and Miss Hogan."

Both Quiz bowl coaches stepped forward. Quickly, they explained the rules of the game. Peter didn't understand why they had to review them. Most people had probably already heard them a million times by now. Miss Hogan took her place in front of the whiteboard. She held a clipboard and a timer. She picked up a stack of papers and read off the first question.

"What prestigious newspaper is opening up their doors to summer interns for the first time in several years?" She asked her eyes searching the teams. After a few minutes, two buzzers sounded. She turned to her team, who had apparently buzzed in first," Yes, Sophie?"

Everyone seemed to turn to Sophie as she answered. Peter tried to keep a cool head. He knew that he had also buzzed in. He hoped that this girl answered incorrectly. He figured that if these kids were as educated as he thought, then she wouldn't.

"Uh, I forgot." She mumbled and Miss Hogan turned to the Midtown team. She seemed almost annoyed at Sophie, as if she considered her incompetent.

Peter raised his hand and Miss Hogan nodded," The Daily Bugle." Peter answered and Miss Hogan drew a line under Midtown on the board.

Miss Hogan read off the next question, this time keeping her eyes on the Brooklyn Badgers. Even though Midtown was only up by a point, Miss Hogan's slender hand seemed to tighten on the timer. Her brown eyes glaring at the Midtown team from behind her papers.

After a while, it seemed as if Midtown was going to win the game. Peter knew it was only luck that had helped them this far. Fortunately, Midtown had answered most of the current event questions correctly. This next question was their first actual question. Peter prepared himself mentally.

"What mythological character is mentioned in William Shakespeare's play Midsummer Night's Dream and Christopher Stasheff's Oathbound Wizard?" Almost as suddenly as the question was spoken, the entire Brooklyn team buzzed in, along with a single Midtown high student.

Miss Hogan turned to Valerie, who had buzzed in first. Peter was thankful for her quick thumb. He had almost buzzed in. However, he wasn't certain he knew the correct answer.

"The mythological character is Puck." Valerie responded and Miss Hogan nodded.

So far, Peter was feeling good about this game. Nevertheless, he knew it was no reason to get overconfident. They were only two points ahead. Peter let out a small sigh of relief as Miss Hogan gave Midtown another point. The Badgers seemed to be pouting at this.

_Personally, _thought Peter as Miss Hogan read off the next question_, if they're going to pout, they might as well pout pretty._

He listened as the Badgers buzzed in. One of them answered, which made another point for the Badgers. Peter wasn't worried. At least, not as much as the others. He had practiced and studied as much as he could, and that was all anybody could ever ask of him.

About a half hour later, it was half time. The points were tallied on the board, and many had left the room. Peter sometimes forgot that the home team had to provide refreshments. The match had gotten to the extreme at times, which had made Peter a little nervous.

He risked a glance up at the whiteboard. The Brooklyn Badgers had twenty points while Midtown had sixteen. Peter had made sure that he answered any and every question he thought or knew the answer to. He turned to look at Aunt May, who was smiling and giving him double thumbs up.

He decided to focus his attention on Zara, who seemed really down. Usually, she was in high spirits even when nobody else was. He turned towards the Badgers, who were chatting amongst themselves. He looked away again, but not in time to feel a tap on his shoulder from behind. He spun around to see one of the Badger players, Sophie, standing behind him.

Her curly blonde hair was held back by a black headband. She smiled warmly at him. Peter noticed that her boring shirt and skirt combo didn't seem to match her sunny personality. Especially considering that, the uniform was darkly colored.

"Hey, Peter is it? I'm Sophie. I just wanted to congratulate you on the match. Most of my teammates are pretty stuck up," She jammed her thumb where the Badgers were seated. Peter saw out of the corner of his eye that Sophie was the only girl among what looked to be an all boys team. At that point, in time, Zara turned around to face Sophie. Peter sent her a look that hopefully made her hold her tongue," But honestly, I don't care if we win or lose. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job. Good luck in the next half of the match."

She waved and skipped back to her table. Peter watched as she went, keeping a close eye on her. He was slightly surprised that she was the only female. However, he shoved it aside. He had seen Zara's look of disgust when Sophie had engaged Peter in conversation.

"What's your problem? Blonde up your tongue?" Asked Peter and Zara shook her head out of her revere.

She turned to Peter, an eyebrow raised," Of course not. I just have a thing about peppy blonde-haired people. It irks me."

"Do you know what school the Badgers attend? Wherever it is, it must be some private school." Peter said as Valerie and Danny sat down with them. Fortunately, they also brought with them water bottles for each player.

"That's got to explain why they know so much," Valerie, said as she tossed a streak of black hair behind her," So does anyone have a plan to try to beat them?" She handed Peter and Zara their drinks, waiting for a response.

"Answer as many questions as we can," Peter responded over the loud hum of conversation. Each turned to look at him, giving him their full attention," Or try to buzz in when we can."

"Don't forget you can always guess if you don't know an answer," Ms. Brown whispered and everyone on the team suddenly turned to her. A warm smile was on her face and a large stack of papers in her hand," Overheard you all talking. Hey great job during the first two rounds. Usually by now, we're behind by fifteen. If one of you knows, something that the other knows, communicate and one person buzz in. Don't give up and continue to work as a team."

She made her way towards the moderator's spot with a thumb up. Miss Hogan found a seat in the audience. Almost immediately, she began to converse with one of the other Badger parents. MJ snapped a couple of pictures, most of them consisting of Midtown high students.

Eventually, the break was over and the game recommenced. Again, Ms. Brown covered the rules. As soon as she was finished, she turned to the teams with a warmhearted smile. Picking up a piece of paper from her stack, she commenced the timer. Reading off the first question, Peter had almost forgotten that these questions were current events.

"What costumed super hero appeared on the front cover of the Daily Bugle for the fifteenth time this month?" She asked and almost as soon as she finished the question, Peter's buzzer lit up.

Turning to Peter, the genius responded," Spider-Man." He thought that he had sounded unsure of himself.

Ms. Brown nodded and put a tally mark under Midtown high. His teammates cheered him on silently while Ms. Brown moved on to the next question. Peter tried not to let the small victory get to his head. He knew there were more questions to answer, which meant more points to win.

As the match dragged on, Midtown earned more and more points. Eventually, they caught up with the Badgers. At one point, they even surpassed them. Yet as the match went into the last round, the Badgers seemed to be winning. They were down to the last couple of questions when Peter decided to try guessing. He had answered almost every question that he knew the answer to. Now, it was time to push it even further.

Midtown was only a point or two away from beating the Badgers. Two more questions and Midtown would bring home the gold. Peter put all his concentration into them. He took a long sip of his water as Ms. Brown read the next question.

"What inside S.H.I.E.L.D organization did Spider Man work for to uncover the Wrecking Crew's plan?" Ms. Brown looked around, waiting for a reply. Her eyes searched the room and just as Danny was about to buzz in, Peter shook his head.

Danny nodded and Peter buzzed in. Ms. Brown turned to Peter," Damage Control."

Ms. Brown nodded approvingly and put another point towards Midtown high. Finally! Midtown high had won the game. The timer beeped, but nobody seemed to hear it. The entire Midtown high team hooped and hollered.

The Badgers made their way out of the room. Miss Hogan seemed to be scowling as she followed them out. The spectators followed close behind Miss Hogan. After every Brooklyn Badgers supporter had left, the entire Midtown high crowd cheered.

Peter gained several slaps on the back, congratulations, and more. Aunt May hugged him, along with MJ. She got several pictures of Peter, claiming that they were for the cover of the school newspaper. Peter didn't care, even though usually he would try to escape the photographs. On the other hand, he didn't mind the attention.

To an extent, it was nice. It was nice to be the recognized geek. Nevertheless, he knew that he would have to remain silent. If anyone asked him about this during class, his wheel of excuses would come in handy. Right now though, he decided that he would take the credit. He knew he deserved it, and it didn't feel quite so bad.

He vaguely heard Coulson mutter a "good job, kid" under his breath as he walked past. He watched the principal leave. He was thankful when Harry showed up, with his father following close behind. The two exchanged handshakes and a slap on the back.

"Nice job out there, Pete," Harry said with a grin," My dad insisted on coming, since he has a business meeting. Then he has a conference all throughout this weekend."

"It was a pleasure to come out and watch you play, Peter," Norman shook hands with Peter. The teenager shuddered as Stormin' Norman turned to his son," You should join too, Harry. It would allow you new opportunities and you might learn something."

He ruffled his son's hair, and then left the library. When he had finally left, Harry let out a tired sigh. Aunt May came up behind Peter, ruffling his hair. He almost hadn't seen her coming.

Peter noticed his friend looking a bit down. Putting his hand on Harry's shoulder, he put on a cheerful face," Hey Harry, don't let your dad get you down."

Harry looked into his friend's eyes and nodded," Doesn't matter. This night isn't about me. It's about you Pete. You really did a great job out there. I meant to tell you about the party myself, but you seemed busy."

Peter nodded and turned to Aunt May," Speaking of which, is it all right if I go now?" He gave her his best puppy dog eyes, only to find Aunt May laugh.

"Of course you can. You deserve it. Just don't forget to call me as soon as you're heading home. Have fun, Peter." She said while ruffling his hair again. A smile split across her face as she watched the two boys go.

Most of the people that had attended the match had left by now. However, May never missed a chance to help others. She noticed Ms. Brown folding some of the chairs and leaning them against a bookshelf. May quickly approached the young librarian and helped her fold the rest of them.

Several minutes later in Harry Osborn's penthouse apartment, the two friends were waiting for the other guests to arrive. Harry turned the light on, revealing the glamour of the penthouse. The last time Peter had been here was for a random party Harry had thrown, which had included the entire Midtown high student body.

Outside, thunder and lightning marred the sky. Raindrops soon followed. They grew in intensity and Harry closed the drapes.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Harry went to answer it as Peter went to get refreshments. He saw MJ enter, along with Sam. MJ waved as Peter set out the various amount of pops, sodas, and other foods on the counter.

"Hey MJ, glad you could make it," Peter went to greet her near the couch," Did you get enough pictures for the Midtown newspaper?"

Sam scoffed under his breath as he headed towards the counter. Grabbing a plastic cup he muttered," Might as well have." He filled it with Sierra Mist.

"I did," MJ replied with a grin as she held up her purse," but not enough of the Midtown high hero."

Peter rolled his eyes," Please MJ, you know I didn't do anything. All I did was help beat a team that was supposedly unbeatable. It's not that hard when you push yourself to do it."

"Well I'm impressed," MJ said as she sat down on the couch next to Peter. The doorbell rang again, and Harry went to answer it. Turning to him, she pushed a large strand of red hair out of her face," Didn't I tell you when you put your mind to something, you achieve your goal?"

Peter rolled his eyes as Zara entered. He decided to get a drink. MJ must've had the same idea, because she followed him. Either that or she wanted him to admit she was right. Nevertheless, Peter's throat was parched.

Grabbing a cup, he quickly poured himself a bottle of Mountain Dew. Turning to MJ, he nodded," All right, I admit it. You were right and your advice paid off."

MJ picked up the root beer and nodded satisfactorily," Well I'm glad I could help. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to see if Sam can see the light. Wish me luck."

Peter shook his head tiredly and sighed. Whatever MJ had gotten herself into; he knew she could get out of," Dare I ask what you challenged him to?"

MJ shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were a trivial matter. Soon more people came and Peter wondered who all had been invited. MJ took a sip of her cup and spoke"; He thinks I can't beat him in Guitar Hero World Tour. We're having a contest to see who can get the highest score."

Peter shook his head and sighed in defeat. He wondered if Sam would learn not to challenge her. He doubted it, but didn't voice his opinion," Poor Sam. Doesn't know what he's getting into."

Before MJ could respond, Peter left to go check on Harry. The host seemed to be otherwise occupied with his girlfriend. The two redheads looked at Peter as he neared. Immediately, Zara left for the drink counter.

"So what is this party supposed to be about, Harry?" Peter asked as more guests arrived. He wasn't certain who all of them were, but he recognized Valerie, Danny, and Luke.

Harry shrugged informally as Zara came back with two cups. She handed him one, and he took a sip from it. After that, Zara left again to socialize with Valerie," Just a celebration for the Quiz bowl team. I would've held the party no matter what, but winning certainly seems like a good reason."

Peter nodded in agreement, taking another sip of his Mountain Dew. He heard Sam shout some colorful language in the background. Peter tried to hide a smirk as Harry went to answer the door. Unfortunately, he couldn't help but smile at Sam's misfortune. He took pleasure in the moment. For now, all was right with the world.

The End

_Me: So I know it's been a while since I've updated, and I apologize. I've had a lot to do since school started so I've been busy. I would also like to apologize again because this is the last chapter of this story, but don't fret my readers this isn't my last story. By the way, the phrase Pout pretty came from my history teacher._

_For the most part, I will try to be done some of the Misgiving Writer's challenge fics. I will also try to do some of my own fics but these challenge fics will be more prominent._

_I would like to thank everyone for reviewing this fic! It really means a lot when I get to hear positive things from my fans! If you're looking for more, go to the Avengers cartoon forum and look for Marvel Character Origins or possibly Recommenced Life. I also might do a little Skittles, if I feel in the mood._

_Disclaimer-I own nothing except the plot and my own Oc's so please ask before you use them!_


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